



























































































/>//! 
















Sflit tfatherlanU Scries 


4rom.'l'te 


:•;«*«« i,-A'p jsX£ jMX 

uutheran; 'BOAHp-.O'f!'; iob ; 

\ v . \ - x \ \ \ •» •« 7. q\; v. \ \ • 



















9 


















































<» 















* 





tlif (Bit r tit. 





FRANZ HOFFMANN. 


fvam Mtt 


B Y 

MISS Ri H. SCHIYELY. 



PHILADELPHIA: 
LUTHERAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION. 
187 0 . 

c/ 


t 1 * . 

V 


Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by the 
LUTHERAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, 
in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States in 
and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 


STEREOTYPED BY J. FAGAN b SON, PHILADELPHIA. 


CAXTON PRESS 
SHERMAN & CO., PHILA 


0 F 

D E L P H I A. 



> 



CHAPTER I. 

Hatred, the Root of Evil .... 9 

CHAPTER II. 

The Crime in the Wood .... 29 
CHAPTER III. 

The Criminal at Large . . . .72 

CHAPTER IV. 

The George-Shaft 81 

CHAPTER V. 

The Elizabeth Quarry . . . .99 


CHAPTER VI. 

The Way of the Transgressor is Hard . 130 



UNDER THE EARTH. 


CHAPTER I. 

HATRED, THE ROOT OF EVIL. 

E was merry-making in the 
ge, for it was the afternoon 
holiday, and it happened 
the men had earned plenty 
of money that week. 

At the “ Mountain Inn,” particularly, 
all was gay and busy confusion. The 
officers of the great coal-mines in the 
vicinity of Bornheim were there, enjoy- 
ing each other’s company, and the music 
of several rather discordant clarionets 
and fiddles. There were the upper and 
lower mine-masters, and the employees 
of the offices. Even the surveyors of 

9 



10 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


the mines, though in a higher position, 
did not disdain to share the innocent 
gaiety of their subordinates. 

On the lawn before the door, which, 
like the inn-windows, stood wide open 
to admit the fresh breeze, the young 
people were dancing under the shade of 
four magnificent, wide-spreading linden- 
trees. A troop of children, followed by 
the watchful eyes of loving mothers, were 
playing on the flowery meadow that 
stretched from the inn to the neighbor- 
ing wood. Further off, the larger boys 
were tumbling about, or amusing them- 
selves with their balls and hoops. Every- 
where were seen happy and contented 
faces; all was mirth and rejoicing — the 
children shouted, the boys huzzaed with 
all their might, and the parents watched 
their sports with smiling eyes. 

Directly before the house door, in the 
shade of a vine, sat a very cheerful group 
of miners, with their wives. Among 
them was one who appeared the object 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


11 


of the special attentions of all the rest. 
Here, amid his comrades, his wife by 
his side, sat Wilhelm Friedel, a brave, 
true-hearted man, and one universally 
esteemed. He had, within a few days, 
been appointed obersteiger, or upper 
mine-master ; and it was to him that the 
kind and complimentary speeches of his 
companions were addressed. Almost 
without exception, they rejoiced over his 
promotion, and offered him good wishes, 
to which he heartily and gratefully re- 
sponded, while, with great modesty, he 
disclaimed the idea that his own merit 
or diligence had obtained his unexpected 
advancement. 

“ Don’t talk such nonsense, Friedel ! ” 
said Obersteiger Winter. “ Hot one of 
the other under-masters had a greater 
claim to the vacant post than yours, even 
though some of them may have been 
employed longer in the mine. For the 
position of upper-master, which involves 
such great and heavy responsibility, 


12 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


years of service are not enough — one 
must have capability beside. And which 
of the others would have been better 
qualified than you, old friend ? There 
is no doubt that many of the under- 
masters are burning with envy at your 
promotion ; but in spite of all that can 
be said, I maintain that our mining coun- 
cil chose just the right man when they 
named you as the successor of our de- 
parted colleague Bittner. A health, then, 
friends, to the honorable council, and 
particularly to our worthy Herr Intend- 
ant, who knows how to appreciate and 
to reward the good services of his sub- 
ordinates ! Long live Herr von Reich- 
enbach, intendant of the mines ! ” 

All responded heartily to the toast, 
and signified their affectionate attach- 
ment to their superiors in office. 

“Yes, yes,” said Obersteiger Bieler, 
“ there were wry faces enough when the 
Herr Intendant announced his promotion 
to our friend Friedel, yesterday, in the 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


13 


presence of all the upper and under- 
masters. I saw myself how this one and 
that one bit his lips, and cast spiteful, 
envious glances at his new superior. But 
don’t trouble yourself about that, brother 
Friedel. If they are choking with envy, 
the jealous scamps cannot trouble you, 
for henceforward you command, and they 
must obey.” 

“ Well, after all, Bieler, I don’t think 
there is as much ill-will as you imagine,” 
said a third upper-master. “On the 
whole, our new colleague is much re- 
spected among his former comrades, and 
there will be but few among them who 
will owe him a grudge on account of his 
advancement. Untersteiger Lawrence, 
indeed, it may be; he has always cher- 
ished a spite against our friend Friedel; 
I would not trust him further than I 
could see him. He is a cunning, ma- 
licious fellow; he is always ready to play 
a mean trick upon any one, that is, if he 
2 


14 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


is not afraid of being found out, for be 
is as cowardly as he is ill-natured.” 

“ Only too true, unfortunately ! ” 
chimed in another. “ I only wish our 
Intendant would find occasion to put 
him out from among us ! It was no one 
else hut he, that poisoned all Steiger 
Hannes , poultry the other day. He 
and Hannes had warm words about 
some trifling matter, and what should 
Lawrence do, but take a mean, low re- 
venge on the poor dumb creatures that 
Hannes petted and took such care of! 
Shameful ! ” 

“ I think you judge him too hastily, 
Wenzel,” Friedel replied to this charge. 
“ Lawrence is certainly not my friend, 
and doubtless has some very bad quali- 
ties, but I could hardly think him guilty 
of such a base trick as that.” 

“ And whom else would you think 
guilty of it? ” answered Wenzel. “ Cer- 
tainly none of the other miners, for they 
are all honorable men. Lawrence is the 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


15 


only black sheep among them, and he 
poisoned the hens out of spite, because 
the Intendant reproved him sharply for 
his part in the dispute with Hannes. 
No, no, Friedel, don’t tell me anything 
about our men ! Lawrence is a bad, 
crafty man, ready for any kind of mis- 
chief.” 

“ Enough talk of him ! ” said Ober- 
steiger Winter, interrupting the conver- 
sation which threatened to become too 
warm. “ There comes Lawrence across the 
meadow, right in this direction, he would 
scarcely be pleased with what we have 
been saying about him. After all, I 
should not like to swear to it, that 
Lawrence poisoned the poultry. Noth- 
ing can be proved against him, and 
the misfortune may have been accidental. 
We should always believe the best about 
people, not the worst.” 

“All very true, but when we know 
the man so well ! ” returned Obersteiger 
Wenzel, hastily. “Look, now, what a 


16 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


dark, sinister face the fellow lias, and 
how spitefully he glances over here at 
Friedel. I tell you again, Friedel, trust 
him no further than you can see him! 
He is planning mischief, and will be 
sure to do something to give you trouble, 
whenever he thinks he will not be found 
out” 

“ I am in God’s hand, and ‘ will not 
he afraid what man can do unto me/ ” 
replied Friedel, quietly. “He who fears 
the Lord, and does his duty to the best 
of his ability, can look the future stead- 
fastly in the face.” 

Meanwhile, Untersteiger Lawrence 
had slowly approached the arbor, and 
was observing the men who sat there, 
with furtive, side-long glances ; they, on 
their part, were thinking no more of 
him. His appearance was, certainly, 
unprepossessing ; his low forehead, deep- 
set, maliciously sparkling eyes, protud- 
ing lips and flattened nose, formed a 
countenance repulsive, indeed ; every 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


17 


feature was expressive of cruelty, a secret 
grudge against all mankind, and a lurk- 
ing malice, like that of a rabid mastiff, 
ever ready to spring upon the passer-by, 
and bury its poisoned fangs in bis flesh. 
His comrades, for this reason, kept as 
much as possible out of bis way, among 
them all be bad not one real friend. 
Those that did not bate him, at least 
avoided him ; and so Lawrence, on this 
festival day and among this rejoicing 
crowd, found himself, as usual, alone. 

“ Ob, yes ! ” he muttered to himself, 
secretly clinching bis fists, “ drink on, 
drink the health of your new upper- 
master, who owes to his creeping time- 
service with the Intendant, the position 
that should have been mine; the time 
will come when I will spoil his tri- 
um]3h ! I will show him that Lawrence 
does not allow himself to be mocked and 
trampled upon for nothing. For to-day, 
at any rate, Friedel’s pleasure will be 
over, if only Uli takes my hint, and gets 

2* B 


18 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


into a quarrel with his John. I hope that 
he gives the youngster a good drubbing! 
I hate the boy almost as much as I do 
his father, the smirking monkey! Well, 
Uli has an old grudge against him, and 
he is sure to draw blood for that, or 
make bruises at least. Ah, there is a 
noise on the playground ! Is he at him 
already ? ” 

He stepped back a few paces, looked 
toward the boys, giving a satisfied nod, 
while a disagreeable smile parted his 
lips. 

“ He has him ! ” he went on mutter- 
ing. “ It is time for me to get out of the 
way of the wrath of the affectionate 
father, who holds his pretty darling for 
such a wonderful child, that it is aston- 
ishing he does not wrap him up in cot- 
ton, to keep the winds from blowing too 
roughly upon him. If only Uli does my 
bidding well ! ” 

And Lawrence disappeared among the 
crowd of miners. 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


19 


Scarcely had lie done so, when such 
cries of pain and affright came from the 
boys’ playground, that the men all 
sprang from their places, and the women 
stood gazing, in a terrified crowd, toward 
the place from whence the piercing 
shrieks arose. 

“ Something terrible has happened ! 99 
exclaimed Friedel, seized with such a 
foreboding of evil, that, though a strong, 
courageous man, he trembled in every 
limb. a Let us go there, friends; per- 
haps our help is needed ! ” 

He hurried across to the playground, 
but was met halfway by a throng of 
boys, crying and lamenting around a 
litter on which was stretched the form 
of a boy some twelve years of age, ap- 
parently unconscious. Four men were 
carrying the litter, but set it gently on 
the ground when they saw Obersteiger 
Friedel, pale and anxious, approaching 
them. 

“ A sad sight for a father ! 99 said one 


20 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


of the men, compassionately. “ Let us 
throw something over the little fellow, 
that the shock may not be too great.” 

“It would be of no use,” replied 
another. “ He must know all, at any 
rate ; and the sooner help can be obtained 
for the poor child, the better both for 
him and the father. There he comes 
now ! ” 

For at that moment, Obersteiger Frie- 
del was pressing hastily through the 
crowd of children that surrounded the 
litter. He uttered a fearful cry as he 
recognized in the blood - stained, uncon- 
scious form that lay upon it, his only 
son. 

“ Merciful heaven ! ” he exclaimed, 
sinking on his knees beside the litter, 
and fixing his eyes on the boy’s white 
face, “ my poor John ! Is he dead ? ” 

“No, no, Herr Obersteiger, not so bad 
as that ! he has only fainted ; it is to be 
hoped he will soon come to himself,” re- 
plied the man who had before expressed 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


21 


his compassion. “ But the poor little 
fellow has two ugly wounds on his head ; 
for Lawrence’s Uli fell upon him with the 
ball-club, like a wild beast : a heartless, 
wicked little rascal he is, a true chip of 
the old block ! ” 

“ So it was Uli, Lawrence’s son, that 
abused my boy so fearfully ? ” exclaimed 
Friedel, overcome with anger. “ I shall 
punish him well for it. Where is he ? ” 
“ Away up the mountain,” replied the 
man. “ As soon as the rascal saw that 
we men were coming, he left off beating 
the boy, and took to his heels. If we 
had caught him, we would have made 
him pay dearly for his sport.” 

“ Well, by-and-by ! ” replied Friedel, 
scarcely able to repress his feelings. 
“ By-and-by we will reckon with him. 
My best thanks to you, friends, for your 
help. For pity’s sake, do not let us 
linger here, or my poor child will die ! ” 
“ You are right, Herr Obersteiger. 
Where shall we carry him ? ” 


22 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


“Home, of course,” replied Friedel. 
“Will one of you be so kind as to 
hurry on, and bring Doctor Frank? 
Quickly, friends ! I will take the place 
of whoever goes ! ” 

One of the bearers readily gave up his 
place, and ran as quickly as possible 
to bring the doctor. Friedel and the 
other three took up the litter, and car- 
ried it to his house, which, fortunately, 
was but a quarter of a mile distant. On 
the way, the distressed father inquired 
what occasion John had given for the 
quarrel, and received from all the boys 
the assurance that Uli had maliciously 
attacked him without any provocation. 

“ John is so good and kind,” they all 
said, “ he would not hurt any one ! ” 

“ I saw all that passed,” said one of 
the larger boys. “ Uli and the rest of 
us were playing ball. It came to John’s 
turn to throw, and Uli had to strike the 
ball with the bat, and send it farther on. 
I stood next, so I saw everything that 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


23 


happened. John threw straight enough, 
hut Uli struck at it twice, and missed it, 
and it seemed to me that he did so on 
purpose. Then be called out to John, 
‘Yon dumb fellow, yon areas stupid and 
awkward as your father, who was made 
upper - master for being a blockhead ! ’ 
John’s face flushed painfully at this 
rude speech, but he did not answer a 
word, only dropped the ball on the 
ground instead of throwing it in the air, 
and turned his back upon Uli, to go 
away. But Uli ran after him like a 
mad dog, and beat him from behind, 
over his head and shoulders, with the 
heavy pointed bat, until John fell bleed- 
ing on the ground ; then he jumped on 
him, and began to beat him with his 
fists, as though he had been really crazy. 
We all stood frightened half to death for 
a moment ; we could not do anything but 
scream. Then those four men came up, 
and Uli made off : some of us ran after 
him, but he was too quick for us, and 


24 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


hid himself in the woods. This is the 
whole truth, sir ! ” 

The other boys confirmed his account, 
and offered to be witnesses .for John, 
against Uli. The father sadly thanked 
them. 

“ It is a great comfort to me to know 
that my boy is innocent,” said he. 
“ But still, I cannot understand what 
induced Uli to abuse a boy so outrage- 
ously, who had never done him any 
harm.” 

“ Oh, his father must have put him 
up to it,” said one of the boys. “ About 
a quarter of an hour before it all hap- 
pened, I saw them together, whispering 
and pointing, and looking very ugly at 
John, who was over there, playing with 
the rest. But look, look ! ” he exclaimed, 
joyfully. “ John’s eyes are open, he is 
moving ! ” 

All eyes turned toward the wounded 
boy, and the litter being gently set on 
the ground, the father went to his side. 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


25 


“ John, my poor boy, how do you 
feel?” he asked, leaning tenderly over 
him. 

“ Better, a great deal better, dear fa- 
ther,” said the hoy, with a faint but clear 
voice. “ Only the back of my head is very 
sore. What has happened to me — how 
did I get into this condition ? ” 

“You shall know all, after a while, 
my child ; lie still, and be quiet for the 
present,” said the father, soothingly. 
“We shall he at home directly, and I 
hope something can be done then to ease 
your pain.” 

The boy smiled thankfully, and lay 
perfectly quiet until they reached his 
father’s house. There he was received 
by his mother, who was waiting for the 
sad little procession with a pale but re- 
signed face, her heart stayed upon God. 

“ Be comforted, mother : John’s inju- 
ries are not so dangerous as they appear,” 
said Friedel to his wife. The mother 
raised her hands and eyes thankfully to- 

3 


26 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


ward heaven, and hastened to do what 
lay in her power for her child. She had 
already made his bed as comfortable 
as possible, and prepared warm water, 
sponges, linen, and bandages. The boy 
was laid carefully down, and the mother 
gently and tenderly washed away the 
blood from his wounded head and stained 
face with lukewarm water. John sub- 
mitted quietly, thanking his mother by 
his loving looks. Soon the doctor came, 
and carefully and thoroughly examined 
with his probe the long, deep wound on 
the back of the boy’s head. The parents 
and friends awaited the result in anxious 
suspense. 

Doctor Frank did not hurry ; but after 
several long and painful minutes, the 
countenance of the good physician, at 
first full of grave anxiety, became more 
cheerful, and he laid down the probe 
upon the table. 

“ Rejoice with me, my good people ! ” 
he said ; “ I have hopes that the boy’s 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


27 


skull is not injured. If my well-founded 
expectations for the next few days are 
not disappointed — and I have not the 
least reason to suppose they will be — we 
have nothing to fear, and in a few weeks 
John will be as well as ever, with no ill 
consequences to be apprehended for the 
future. And now, friends, all except 
the parents, please leave the room. The 
boy needs rest above all things, which a 
nicely arranged bandage will soon afford 
him.” 

All listened silently to the doctor’s 
words, and in a few minutes the room 
was cleared. Doctor Frank laid on the 
bandage with careful hand, poured out 
for John a few drops of a strengthening 
and composing medicine, and gave the 
necessary directions for treating him dur- 
ing the night. 

“ For the present, nothing more can 
be done,” he added, taking his hat and 
cane; “but I assure you, dear friends, 
that you have no danger to apprehend. 


28 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


The boy’s thick, curly hair broke the 
force of the blows, and in all probability 
saved his life. I wager he will be jump- 
ing about with the other children on the 
meadow and in the woods, in less than 
fourteen days ! Good day, friends ! I 
will come again early in the morning.” 

Thus comforted, the father and mother 
offered earnest thanks to God for His 
gracious care of their dear child. The 
night passed quietly away, and when the 
sun rose, the boy was still in a deep and 
peaceful slumber. 




CHAPTER II. 

THE CRIME IN THE WOOD. 

)HN’S recovery was even more 
rapid than Doctor Frank had 
ventured to hope, and this hap- 
py circumstance softened Frie- 
del’s anger against Uli and his father. In 
two weeks John was quite able to go out, 
and in three his usual health was com- 
pletely restored. Full of joy and thank- 
fulness for this mercy, Friedel scarcely al- 
luded to Uli again, and, so far as he and 
his father were concerned, contented him- 
self with a severe reproof to the latter, and 
the advice to keep his son under better 
control for the future — a reproof which 
was received by Lawrence in sullen 
silence, without a single word of apology 

3 * 29 




30 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


or conciliation. TJli’s disgraceful behavior 
had, however, been too public, and had ex- 
cited too general indignation, to be early 
forgotten. A warrant was issued, and he 
was brought before the justice of Born- 
heim. After several examinations, he 
was condemned to severe corporal pun- 
ishment and four months’ imprisonment 
on bread and water ; so that he was in 
confinement when John was again Tun- 
ing about with his schoolmates through 
the woods and valleys. 

This sentence against his son deep- 
ened the bitter enmity of the vindic- 
tive Lawrence toward Friedel: in every 
way and on every occasion, his jealous 
spite sought expression. But no shaft 
of envy or malice could disturb Friedel’s 
tranquillity. He paid no attention to 
Lawrence’s demonstrations; but w T hen, 
as sometimes happened, the latter showed 
himself particularly stubborn and defi- 
ant to orders, he used his authority as 
upper -master with such manly firmness, 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


31 


that, although inwardly cursing and 
gnashing his teeth, Lawrence was obliged 
to submit, if he would not lose his place 
and his daily bread. All this was but 
food for his hatred, which grew every 
day more insatiable, until the one desire 
of his life was to be revenged upon 
Friedel. 

It was long before any opportunity 
presented itself, although he watched 
his unconscious enemy with persistency, 
in order to detect the slightest oversight 
in duty, and make it the subject of a 
complaint before the head officers of the 
mines. All his pains were thrown away. 
Friedel’s duties were so conscientiously 
and thoroughly performed, as to leave 
not the slightest ground for an accusa- 
tion against him. 

It happened one evening, when Law- 
rence was passing through a wood on 
his way home, that he saw Friedel com- 
ing toward him from a distance. His 
first impulse was to avoid the object of 


32 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


his groundless hatred. He sprang be- 
hind the trunk of a large oak - tree, and 
crouched down, like a wild animal in its 
lair, waiting for its prey. 

“ If we two were but alone ! ” he mut- 
tered, savagely, tightening his grasp on 
the heavy knobbed stick he carried. 
“ But those woodmen are rather too 
close, the slightest sound from the mean 
fellow would betray me. No, not yet! 
Some better chance will yet come. And 
then I shall be Obersteiger, and he will 
command me no longer ! How I hate 
him ! ” 

Friedel, in the mean time, drew nearer 
and nearer, and passed close by the oak, 
without seeing Lawrence, who looked 
after him until he had gone on some 
hundred paces. Then he slowly rose, 
and followed at a distance, slipping 
along behind trees and underbrush, so as 
to be concealed both from Friedel and 
the woodcutters, who were digging up the 
roots of fallen trees in a clearing at a 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


33 


short distance from the foot-path. Law- 
rence heard Friedel wish them a friendly 
good - evening, and heard the greeting 
as cordially returned. The Obersteiger 
went on, and Lawrence stole along after 
him, as before. 

He scarcely knew, himself, for what 
purpose he did so. Perhaps he meant 
to follow until they should reach some 
retired thicket, where he might attack 
his hated enemy, if Friedel could be 
called such, without danger of discovery ; 
perhaps he was led by curiosity alone ; 
at any rate, he did not attempt to lessen 
the distance between them, but continued 
to follow. 

At last, in one of the most lonely 
parts of the forest, a good-looking, well- 
dressed journeyman came along, carry- 
ing his well - filled knapsack on his 
shoulder, and whistling merrily. Meet- 
ing Friedel, he stopped, and appeared to 
ask him some question, which received 
a ready and pleasant answer. After a 
c 


34 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


few more words, the two separated with 
a polite salutation. Friedel walked on as 
before, and the journeyman, taking up 
again the song he had been whistling, 
slowly approached Lawrence. 

A fiendish thought flashed like light- 
ning into the mind of the miserable man, 
sparkling in his cruel eyes, and drawing 
his lips into a wicked, mocking smile. 
Before the journeyman came near enough 
to see him, he again crouched down 
under the brush, and lay in wait for 
him. Unconscious of any danger, the 
young man strode carelessly along, and 
passed the spot where Lawrence was 
concealed; then the latter rose softly, 
lifted his heavy stick, and brought it 
down with terrible force on the back of 
the poor fellow's head. As one struck 
by lightning, and without a single cry, 
the young man fell on the ground, and 
Lawrence drew the apparently lifeless 
body behind the brush, where he might 
feel safe from any casual passer-by, 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


35 


Thus concealed, he searched the journey- 
man’s wallet, and found a green purse, 
embroidered with gold thread, and seem- 
ingly well filled ; this he put into his 
own wallet. Then he took off the gold 
watch and chain the young man had 
worn, and put them in his pocket. 
Lastly, he unfastened the knapsack, put 
it on his own shoulder, and went off 
through the thicket, but toward the road 
to the village, which he reached by the 
time it was quite dark. As to what 
should become of the young man, he 
troubled himself no more than if he had 
left a log lying there. 

Arrived at the village, Lawrence did 
not go home, as might have been expect- 
ed, but turned in the direction of Ober- 
steiger Fried el’s cottage. He reached it 
in a few minutes, and stood peeping in at 
the window. The room was lighted by 
a small lamp, and around the table sat 
Friedel’s wife and son, together with a 
schoolmate of the latter; the two boys 


36 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


were chatting and laughing merrily. The 
father was absent. 

“Good!” muttered Lawrence; “it is 
as fair a chance as I could wish ! Wait, 
you sneaking rascal ! only wait, I will 
put soup into your dish that you will 
find rather hard to swallow ! ” 

He slipped with stealthy step around 
the house, noiselessly got over the hedge, 
and passed through the garden into the 
little yard at the back of the house. 
There, without very long search, he 
found a ladder which stood in a corner : 
this he set up against the roof of the cot- 
tage. After assuring himself that it was 
steady, he climbed by it upon the roof, 
and disappeared through an open trap- 
door. 

He remained some minutes inside, and 
when he came out, and down the ladder 
again, the journeyman’s knapsack was 
no longer fastened to his shoulder. 

When he reached the ground, he cau- 
tiously set the ladder in its former place, 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


37 


went out again through the garden, and 
over the hedge, without meeting any 
one, assured himself by a look that Frau 
Friedel and the boys were still sitting by 
the table, and hurried away, rubbing his 
hands with wicked exultation. When a 
hundred paces off, he burst into mocking 
laughter. 

“ Well done ! ” he said to himself, “ well 
done! You are upper- master now, Frie- 
del ; but your time is out ! In a day or 
two, you will be sitting in jail, with your 
hands and feet chained. Good luck to 
you, convict ! And good luck to myself, 
too ; for no one but myself can succeed 
to your place ! ” 

With these words, he turned toward 
the village inn, entered with his usual 
air of sullen defiance, and took his place, 
apart from the other guests, at a table 
that stood alone, near the clock. Here 
he ordered a glass of beer, and while the 
landlord went to bring it, he set the clock 
back nearly an hour. None of the other 

4 


38 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


guests saw him, for none of them would 
look toward him. Every one avoided 
him, even more than before, since Uli’s 
brutal attack upon John Friedel, which 
was universally ascribed to the father’s 
prompting, and had rendered him more 
than ever detested. 

Lawrence was indifferent to all this ; 
or, rather, he affected to be so, while his 
heart was in reality overflowing with bit- 
terness. 

“ Patience ! ” he said to himself, with 
a sidelong glance at the men about him ; 
“ once upper mine - master, and I will 
teach you all to show me respect ! ” 

The landlord came up from the cellar 
with a glass of foaming beer, and Law- 
rence drank of it, still sitting at the table, 
until one of the other guests, happening 
to glance at the clock, said, with surprise : 

“ Why, look ! it is only seven o’clock, 
and I thought it must be nearly eight ! 
we can enjoy each other’s company for at 
least an hour longer.” 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


39 


While all were busy talking, Lawrence 
managed, unobserved, to set the hand of 
the clock considerably forward ; then, fin- 
ishing his beer at one draught, he paid 
for it, and left the room without noticing 
or speaking to any one. 

“ I am glad that fellow is gone/’ said 
some of the rest. “ His face is enough to 
take away a man’s appetite.” 

But Lawrence, when outside, rubbed 
his hands with great satisfaction : 

“ Success again ! If any suspicion falls 
on me, those rascals will have to swear 
before the court that they saw me at the 
inn at seven o’clock — just at the time 
when the scene in the wood came off! 
So the alibi is proved, and I am safe ! ” 

On the afternoon of the same day when 
the events above recorded took place, a 
bright, cheerful-looking boy came along 
the path that led into the woods, carry- 
ing a butterfly-net, and a botanist’s case, 
containing some boxes and little parcels. 


40 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


Near the wood he saw an old woman, 
sitting on a stone. She lived in a small 
cottage in the village of Bornheim, and 
gained a scanty subsistence, in the sum- 
mer, by gathering berries, herbs, and roots, 
and carrying them to the city, a league 
from the village, where she sold them to 
an apothecary. She was considered an 
upright, excellent woman ; the boy evi- 
dently knew her to he such, for he went 
up to her, and held out his hand famil- 
iarly, hut with respect. 

“ God’s greeting to you, Mother Do- 
mann ! ” he said, kindly. “ How does it 
happen that you are sitting here all alone 
by the road ? Are you tired ? ” 

“Not exactly tired, John,” returned 
the old woman, “for I have just come 
from home, and am going into the woods 
to gather berries ; hut such a weakness 
came over me, it quite unnerved me, so 
that I trembled all over, and could go no 
farther. I was obliged to sit down here ; 
I don’t think I can go into the woods at 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


41 


all to-day. I am dreadfully hungry, too, 
John — that is had for an old woman 
like me.” 

“ Hungry, good mother ? oh, I can soon 
cure you of that !” returned John Friedel', 
promptly, opening the lid of his box. 
“ There, Mother Domann, is my supper ! 
Take it, and eat it ! I have not touched 
it, and I do not need it ; for I had a fine 
dinner at noon — pork and peas, my fa- 
vorite dish. Do eat this ! That ’s right ! 
Bread and butter are good to drive off 
hunger ! ” 

The poor old woman eagerly took the 
boy’s kind offering, even eating a few 
mouthfuls before thanking him for the 
welcome food. But directly, however, 
she raised her wrinkled, but kind and 
honest face to John, and looked at him 
very lovingly. 

“A thousand thanks, John ! ” she said; 
“ you have done a great kindness to a poor 
weak old creature — perhaps, saved my 
poor life ! God bless you for it, my boy ! 

4 * 


42 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


You have had a happy life already, for 
you were always a good child, and you 
are kind and thoughtful toward old peo- 
ple, who cannot move about so briskly as 
in days gone by. God bless you, my 
kind lad ! ” 

“ Ah, please be quiet, good mother ! ” 
said the boy, quite abashed by her praises ; 
“ I am only glad you liked it ; I wish I 
had some more bread and butter to give 
you ; but that was all I had. Shall I 
run back to the village, Mother Domann, 
and bring you more? I know, mother 
will be glad to give it to you. I can be 
back in less than a half-hour.” 

“ Yes, yes ; you are a dear, good boy ! 
your heart is in the right place,” replied 
the old woman, with emotion, stroking 
the boy’s rosy cheek. 

“ But it is not necessary for you to take 
that trouble ; I have had quite enough. I 
thank you, child ; my hunger is gone, and 
I feel strong enough now to go into the 
wood. And where are you going, John ? ” 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


43 


“ To the meadow, mother, to catch but- 
terflies,” replied John. “ You know the 
place : the large meadow in the middle 
of the wood, where there are so many 
thousand sweet wild- flowers. I almost 
always find plenty there.” 

“ Yes, I dare say,” said Mother Do- 
mann, nodding ; “I have crossed that 
meadow many and many a time ; I al- 
ways enjoy its beautiful, soft, flowery car- 
pet. But, John, if you want fine, large 
butterflies, I know a better place than 
that meadow ; and as you have been so 
good to me, I will tell you how to find 
it.” 

“ Is it possible, Mother Domann ? ” ex- 
claimed John, in pleased surprise. “I 
have been all through these woods, and 
I cannot think of any spot where there 
are finer butterflies than there.” 

“Very likely, John,” said the old 
woman. “ It is not everybody that could 
find the place I mean. But Mother Do- 
mann hobbles about everywhere, and for 


44 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


a league around there is not a tree, bush, 
or stone that she could not find by 
night as well as by day. Listen now : 
do you know the Kemper Mill on the 
Wild Brook ? ” 

“ Oh, yes, mother ! It is only half a 
mile off, at the head of the Kemper 
ravine ! ” 

“ Very good ! Go there then, my child, 
and tell the miller that I, old Mother 
Domann, sent you to ask his permission 
to go through his garden into that ravine. 
You know, it is the miller’s property, 
and there is no other entrance to it but 
through his garden. The miller will let 
you go ; and you must walk up the ra- 
vine some ten minutes or so. You will 
find to your right a small path through 
the wood ; go along it, and in a few min- 
utes more you will reach a pond ; on its 
banks is the meadow I speak of, right in 
the midst of the woods. It will be your 
own fault if you do not find plenty of 
the prettiest butterflies there.” 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


45 


“ Thank you, kindly, Mother Do- 
mann,” answered the hoy, joyfully. “ I 
will hurry to the mill, then, that I may 
not be late in going home ; that is, if you 
you do not need me : can I do anything 
more for you ? ” 

“ No, dear child, go, and don’t he un- 
easy about me,” she replied. “I feel 
quite refreshed, and can do my work 
very well now. Good-by, John ! ” 

“ Adieu, good mother ! ” John called 
after her, for Mother Domann had 
already risen, and started toward the 
woods. 

On the next morning, a terrible report 
spread quickly through the village, over 
which every one shook his head. It was 
said that on the afternoon before, a 
journeyman had been knocked down in 
the woods, where he had been found in 
a senseless condition, and taken to the 
hospital. It was further reported that 
the author of the cruel deed was none 
other than Obersteiger Friedel. The 


46 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


justice had been informed of his guilt 
by an anonymous letter, and a commis- 
sion had already gone to his house to 
make examination, and arrest him to 
answer to the charge. 

“It is impossible that Friedel, the 
most upright man in the whole village, 
should have committed such a crime ! ” 
exclaimed one of his colleagues, who was 
standing among a little group of persons, 
drawn together by their intense interest 
in the affair, near Friedel’s cottage. 
“ He is incapable of anything so base ! ” 

“ Who can tell ? We shall see ! ” said 
another, shaking his head thoughtfully. 
“ The demon of avarice often blinds the 
best of people: this much is certainly 
true, that the woodcutters saw Friedel pass 
by just about the time the assault was 
committed, yesterday evening : they saw 
him, and no one else. It is said, too, 
that the young man belonged to a family 
who are very well off, and must have 
been abundantly provided with money, 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


47 


clothing, and other things. For instance, 
he carried a very handsome gold watch 
and chain, which cannot be found.” 

“ No matter ! I maintain my opinion 
that Friedel is entirely innocent of the 
slightest share in the deed,” returned 
the first speaker, with great earnestness. 
“Is it known who found the young; 
man ? ” 

“ Oh, yes : old Mother Domann ; she 
was hobbling about in the woods, and 
found him lying, covered with blood, up- 
on the ground, as still as though he were 
dead. She brought the woodcutters to his 
aid, and they carried him to the hospital, 
where he was so well attended to that, to- 
day he is quite sensible, and in very 
good spirits. Indeed, if I am not mis- 
taken, the commission have taken him to 
Friedel’s house, to identify his property, 
in case it should be found there.” 

“ Nothing will be found there ! ” ex- 
claimed Obersteiger Winter, who, from 
the first, had taken his old friend’s part. 


48 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


“Friedel could not be guilty of such an 
evil action ! ” 

“ Oho ! ” cried the other, “ not guilty ? 
Look there, Herr Obersteiger ! There they 
are bringing your good, honest, innocent 
man, with his hands tied behind his 
back ! And see, the constable is carrying 
the journeyman’s knapsack ! Ah, a fine 
upright man is Mynherr Obersteiger ! 
A robber, on his way to jail ! ” 

“ Silence, Lawrence! You are a ras- 
cally fellow, to talk in that style of a good 
man ! ” exclaimed Winter, interrupting 
him. “In spite of all the evidence in the 
world, my faith in Friedel’s innocence 
can never for a moment be shaken ! And 
you — how do you know, then, that that 
knapsack belongs to the journeyman ? ” 

“ Well, I only suppose so, because the 
officer brought it out of the house,” re- 
plied Lawrence ; for it was he who had 
uttered his suspicions of Friedel’s integ- 
rity. “ I don’t wish to say any harm of 
the man.” 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


49 


“ You have said more already than you 
have any right to say,” replied Winter, 
turning away from him with undisguised 
contempt. 

The prisoner now approached the 
group, guarded on either side by the 
officers of the commission. He held up 
his head firmly, and looked around with 
an open and tranquil countenance. 

“ God’s greeting to you, dear friends 
and comrades ! ” he said to the men stand- 
ing by, with full and clear voice. “ I am 
falsely accused of a very grave offence, 
and the charge is justified by a circum- 
stance quite unaccountable to me — the 
knapsack of the plundered journeyman 
having been found hidden in a loft in 
my cottage. But I assure you all, that 
my conscience is as clear of the crime as 
polished crystal, and that I know nothing 
of it, nor can guess at all how the knap- 
sack came to be concealed in my house.” 

“ I believe you, Friedel !” said Winter, 
stepping out from among the crowd, to 
5 D 


50 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


greet his friend with all his old cordiality. 
“ There can be hut few of us who have 
the slightest doubt of your innocence, let 
appearances be ever so much against you.” 

“ Accept my thanks for your comfort- 
ing words ! ” answered Friedel. “ I trust, 
God will send light in the midst of dark- 
ness, and make it clear that my soul is 
free from this guilt : meanwhile I must 
bear patiently whatever comes upon me. 
Friend Winter, I beg of you, take care 
of my poor wife, and of John, so long as 
I may be kept in prison ! They are al- 
most crushed by this trial, although they 
have firm confidence in my integrity. 
Will you comfort them, and be their 
friend and protector when they need 
one ? ” 

“ I promise you I will ! ” replied Win- 
ter, heartily. “ Give yourself no uneasi- 
ness upon their account ! ” 

“ Then forward, my men ! ” said Frie- 
del, turning to the officers. “ I follow 
you willingly, and without resistance.” 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


51 


Soon the prison doors closed behind 
Friedel, not to open again until he should 
be brought before the court for trial. 

The examination lasted several days, 
and seemed, alas ! to lead to no happy 
result for Friedel. He could not and 
did not deny that he had been very 
near the spot at the time the outrage 
was committed ; indeed, he admitted that 
he had exchanged a few words with the 
young man, who had made some inqui- 
ries about the road. For the rest, he 
affirmed his innocence, as before, and his 
frank and manly bearing supported his 
assertion. 

Yet circumstances were too strongly 
against him, for his candor to be of much 
service to him. The strongest witness was 
the knapsack, which the journeyman 
identified as his property. When asked 
whether he considered the accused as 
guilty, the young man shrugged his 
shoulders, and replied that he could nei- 
ther affirm nor deny it. The blow T that 


52 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


had prostrated him had been sudden as 
a flash of lightning; and from that mo- 
ment until his recovery from insensi- 
bility, he could remember nothing what- 
ever. 

The affair looked very ominous for 
Friedel; he himself indulged as little 
hope as did his friends of his acquittal. 
Every one compassionated him ; for, in 
spite of all the evidence, no one who 
knew him believed for a moment that he 
was guilty. His wife and John grieved 
deeply, and whenever they appeared, it 
was with eyes red and swollen with 
weeping. No words of consolation could 
soothe their sorrow, no friendly services 
lighten their burden of suspense. They 
looked forward to the judge’s sentence 
with torturing anguish. 

Indeed, they had abundant reason. 
If, as was almost certain, the verdict 
“ Guilty ” should be pronounced, Friedel 
would not only lose his situation, but 
would have to spend years in imprison- 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


53 


ment. What then would become of his 
wife and child, deprived of the support- 
ing hand of their husband and father? 
Only poverty, shame, and misery were 
before them : what wonder if they re- 
coiled in terror from such spectres ? 

Of all in the village, none displayed 
such bold, cruel exultation over Friedel’s 
misfortunes as the Steiger Lawrence. 

“ There you have him ! ” said he to 
his comrades. “ There you have your 
canting sneak, who fawned on his supe- 
riors, and flattered them to get his pro- 
motion, and good, fat wages ! A wretched 
highway robber: all the water in the 
world cannot wash away his disgrace ! ” 
Those who listened to his evil-minded 
triumph, did so with indignant coun- 
tenances, indeed ; but none could bring 
any argument to support his innocence : 
and Lawrence grinned over their discom- 
fiture with fiendish satisfaction. 

At last, the final day of the trial ar- 
rived ; the court -room was so crowded 
5* 


54 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


with curious and interested spectators, 
that an apple could scarcely have fallen 
to the ground between them. The state 
solicitor, the judges, the jury, and wit- 
nesses took their places, and the prisoner 
was brought before the court. 

He was pale, but tranquil and com- 
posed. His eyes rested quietly upon the 
almost breathless crowd of spectators, then 
turned calmly upon the judge and jury. 

The necessary preliminaries had been 
observed, the witnesses sworn, and, lastly, 
the accused was asked whether he was 
guilty, or not guilty ? 

“ Not guilty !” said Friedel, impres- 
sively ; “ upon my honor, and before my 
God ! ” 

His appearance, his manner, his whole 
deportment made a good impression upon 
all in the court -room, and some even 
dared to indulge fresh hopes. But these 
hopes were destined to cruel disappoint- 
ment. The evidence appeared clear as 
daylight. Friedel could neither deny 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


55 


nor retract the admissions he had already 
made ; and, at last, the jury were charged 
to decide w T hether he was or was not 
proved guilty. After about half- an - 
hour’s absence from the court-room, they 
returned with grave countenances. Their 
verdict was : 

“ Guilty ! ” 

The spectators heard the decision 
with dismay; the prisoner himself was 
pale, and bowed his head upon his breast, 
while the tears rolled down his cheeks. 

“ My poor wife ! my poor, unfortunate 
boy ! ” he sighed. “ Dear Saviour, thou 
‘ man of sorrows/ pity and comfort them.” 

While all others were moved with 
sympathy for the stricken and suffering 
man, the countenance of Lawrence alone, 
who stood in the foremost row of spec- 
tators, wore an expression of fiendish 
exultation. 

“ Trapped ! ” he muttered, under his 
breath. “ Now for the jail ! ” 

The judges held a short consultation, 


56 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


and the foremost had just risen to pro- 
nounce sentence, when suddenly a tumult 
arose at the entrance of the hall, and 
the shrill voice of a woman was heard 
from the midst of the crowd, eying : 

“For God’s sake, gentlemen, stop! 
Poor Friedel is innocent — I can prove it; 
and I can produce the real criminal, and 
the proofs of his guilt ! ” 

“ Old Mother Domann ! ” was whis- 
pered through the crowd, and many 
heavy hearts heat lighter and more 
freely. “What can she mean? What 
has she to say?” “She is a good 
woman ! ” “ Why has she not made 

her appearance before ? ” “ She must he 

heard ! ” 

“ Silence ! ” commanded the judge. 
“ Bring forward the woman who has 
just spoken to the witnesses’ bench ! ” 
The crowd most willingly, but w T ith 
great difficulty, made way, and in a few 
moments Mother Domann sat as a wit- 
ness. The presiding judge administered 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


57 


the oath to her, and then inquired what 
she had to say upon the case before the 
court ? ” 

“ I affirm that the man yonder, Ober- 
steiger Friedel, is entirely innocent; and 
that the Steiger Lawrence, who stands 
here, knocked down and robbed the 
journeyman,” answered Mother Do- 
mann, with a firm voice. 

Universal astonishment and expres- 
sions of joy followed this asseveration. 
Lawrence was ghastly pale, and made 
an attempt to escape, which was frus- 
trated by the men standing near him, 
who caught him and held him fast. 
The presiding judge ordered the officers 
to seize the person of the accused, and 
guard him until further orders. Then 
he turned again to the aged Frau Do- 
man n. 

“You have brought a serious accu- 
sation against a man hitherto unim- 
peached, ^ he said. “ Can you prove the 
charge ? ” 


58 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


“Yes, I can/’ answered Mother Do- 
mann. “I can prove to a hair how 
everything happened, from the very be- 
ginning; for I was present when the 
evil deed was done, and I heard and saw 
everything that passed.” 

“She lies! The wicked old woman 
lies ! ” cried Lawrence, furiously, to the 
judges. “ She hates me, and brings 
this charge against me only to gratify 
her malice, and bring me to ruin ! ” 

“ Accused, keep silence, until you are 
questioned ? ” commanded the president, 
with severity. “ But, Frau Domann, 
what has prevented you from giving 
your testimony until now ? ” 

“ It has not been my fault, Herr 
President,” she replied. “ My terror at 
seeing Lawrence knock the young man 
to the ground entirely overcame me, 
so that I lost the use of my speech, and 
became from that moment seriously ill. 
Since that night I have not been able to 
leave my bed, much less my house. 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


59 


And not a soul remembered old Mother 
Domann all these many, long, sorrowful 
days ; so I lay helpless and forsaken, 
even until this morning. I heard no- 
thing of all that had occurred, and knew 
not that Obersteiger Friedel had been 
accused of the crime and arrested. 
Early this morning, when for the first 
time I rose from my bed, and crept to 
the window to look out, I saw my young 
friend, John Friedel, weeping bitterly, 
his face hidden in his hands. On the 
instant, my voice came back to me. 
Pushing open the window, I called him 
in. He came, and when I asked him 
what his trouble was, he told me of the 
grievous affliction and distress of his 
good father, weeping all the time as 
though his heart would break. I must 
mention beside, Herr President, that on 
the same afternoon when Lawrence com- 
mitted the evil deed, I was sitting by the 
road-side upon a stone, almost overcome 
with hunger and faintness ; I should 


60 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


have sunk under it, if John had not 
come along, and given me his supper. 
Since that day, I have loved the boy 
as if he were my own, and I was glad 
to be able to comfort him. 

“Go home, John, and do not he dis- 
tressed any longer/’ I said to him. “ Greet 
your mother for me, and tell her, too, that 
I beg she will be comforted ; for, to-day, 
Obersteiger Friedel will be with her at 
home.” 

“ J ohn believed me, and left me with 
a lighter heart. Then I started from 
my home ; and now here I am, ready 
to answer and tell all I have seen and 
heard ! ” 

“ Well, Frau Domann,” said the pres- 
ident judge, “ tell us, then, plainly, what 
it is you have seen and heard. But, 
remember, I require of you the truth, the 
full truth, and nothing but the truth; 
do not forget the oath you have taken. 
And now speak.” 

Deep, breathless stillness followed the 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


61 


judge’s words of warning; all eyes were 
eagerly bent upon the bowed figure of 
the venerable Mother Domann, who thus 
commenced her simple recital : 

“ Well, Herr President, you shall hear 
the full truth from me: old Mother Do- 
mann has some reputation for honesty ; 
every one here knows that. Well, then ! 
When I had eaten John’s bread and 
butter, my hunger and faintness were 
gone, and I felt strong enough to go on 
into the w T ood and gather my berries. 
J ohn and I parted. He went toward the 
Kemper Mill, and I into the woods, wan- 
dering up and down in search of the best 
and thickest whortleberry-bushes. I had 
spent perhaps about two hours in the 
woods, when, happening to look up, I 
saw Lawrence sauntering along the path. 
That did not surprise me; but I was 
surprised, when, suddenly, he stopped, 
and creeping behind the trunk of a large 
tree, crouched down. ‘ What does that 

mean ? ’ thought I, still watching the 
6 


62 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


man. In a moment, However, I under- 
stood it; for, directly, Obersteiger Frie- 
del passed the tree, without seeming to 
see Lawrence. A few paces further on, 
Friedel came near the woodcutters who 
were sitting here, and saluted them. They 
answered him, and he went on. Law- 
rence followed him very quietly, and I 
could not help observing how careful he 
was not to let the woodcutters see him. 
He was entirely hidden from them, hut 
I saw him very plainly. 

“ ‘ The Steiger Lawrence is a had man/ 
I thought ; ‘ he means some harm to good 
Friedel! Follow him up, Mother Do- 
mann, and prevent any mischief, if you 
can ! ’ 

“ So I slipped along behind Lawrence, 
as he behind Friedel, and kept close at 
his heels, without his having any suspi- 
cion of it ; for I know every tree and 
hush in the forest, and so I kept hidden. 
Well, we went on and on, until Ober- 
steiger Friedel met a nicely dressed jour- 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


63 


neyman, who spoke to him. At this, he 
stopped ; Lawrence instantly did the 
same, and I stopped too. After Friedel 
had spoken a few words with the jour- 
neyman, the same young man, who is 
sitting here among the other witnesses, 
went on, and drew near where Lawrence 
was, and I close behind him. Then, in- 
stead of following Friedel further, Law- 
rence hid himself again, and I kept 
hidden too. I was not five paces from 
him, stooping behind a hazel-bush, and 
could even see the expression of his face. 
He looked grim and savage enough ; but 
he always does, so I could guess nothing 
from that. Alas ! to my great terror, I 
understood his purpose too soon ! The 
journeyman had scarcely passed him, 
when Lawrence sprang upon him from 
behind, and gave him such a blow with 
his heavy knotted stick, that the young 
man fell senseless on the ground. I tried 
to call for help, but I could not : it was 
as if something had been tied tightly 


64 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


around my throat. But I could see all 
that Lawrence did. He first dragged 
the poor, unconscious man aside into the 
brush, and then plundered him, took off 
his gold watch and chain, and a well- 
filled purse that was in the young man’s 
wallet he put into his own ; then, slip- 
ping the knapsack from his shoulder, he 
put it on his own, leaving the woods 
without paying any further attention to 
the poor fellow he had robbed and in- 
jured. 

“ I let him go, for I knew where I 
should come up with him again — on the 
bridge across the Kemper brook. I went 
first to the woodcutters, showed them, by 
signs, what had happened ; saw that they 
attended to the young man, and then 
went by the shortest route to the bridge. 
I waited there a good while before Law- 
rence came along : it was quite dark, and 
so much the easier for me to follow him 
without being observed. I supposed he 
would go straight home. But, no ! To 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


65 


my great surprise, he took another road, 
and stopped at last before Friedel’s house, 
where he peeped around like a spy. I 
saw him climb over the hedge, and, di- 
rectly afterward, go up a ladder to the 
roof, where he disappeared through a 
trap-door. I thought he had gone in to 
steal, but I was mistaken. When he had 
come down again, and I stole along after 
him as before, I saw that the journey- 
man’s knapsack was not on his back ; I 
wondered, and tried to guess what he 
could have done with it. He did not go 
home, but went into the tavern awhile. 
I followed him there, hiding in a corner, 
and watched him closely. He handled 
the clock twice, setting the hand first 
backward and then forward : I could not 
tell what he meant by that. After some 
time he came out, and went to his home. 
Of course, I could not follow him in ; but 
it seemed to me that something more 
would transpire, so I lurked about out- 
side. I had scarcely waited a quarter qf 
6* E 


66 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


an liour, when the gate creaked, and 
Lawrence came into the garden with a 
lantern. Light in the centre stands a 
large pear-tree. With a spade he made 
a hole in the earth at the foot of that 
tree. That done, he threw something into 
the hole with a jingling sound, covered 
it over carefully, and made the spot look 
like the ground around it. 

“ 4 Lie there, until grass grows over 
the story ! 9 I heard him say, half aloud, 
and then he went into the house. 

“ I wanted very much to see what he 
had buried there, for I could not think 
it was anything else but the journey- 
man’s watch and purse. But I was sud- 
denly seized with an icy, shuddering 
chill, and I felt so weak that I was 
scarcely able to walk. I made my way 
with great difficulty to my hut, and had 
to lie down at once upon my bed. The 
next day, I wanted to go to the judge 
and tell him all I had seen, but as I 
have already said, Herr President, I w^ 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


67 


not able to creep from my bed, and no 
one came to see me. To-day, at last, 
thanks be to God ! I regained some little 
strength, and when I saw John in tears, 
and heard his sad story, I felt that I 
must come here, even though it cost me 
my life. Now, Herr President, as you 
know all that has passed, you surely will 
let Obersteiger Friedel go free, and put 
Lawrence on trial in his place ! ” 

“ Surely, my good woman, that shall 
certainly be done,” replied the president. 
“The latter, at least, for the present. 
Steiger Lawrence, what have you to 
say to the accusation brought against 
you by Frau Domann ? ” 

The man addressed stood pale and 
trembling, covered with conscious guilt. 
But he cried out with half - smothered 
voice : 

“ The woman lies ! She has seen no- 
thing. I never hid anything in my 
garden ! ” 

“We can soon satisfy ourselves on 


68 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


that point,” returned the president, 
quietly, and directed some officers who 
were standing by, to go to Lawrence’s 
garden, and make search under the 
pear-tree Frau Domann had designated. 

The commission obeyed, and proceed- 
ings were discontinued until they re- 
turned. Every one waited during this 
interval, in the greatest suspense, for it 
was plain that the result of the trial de- 
pended upon this search. It was a long, 
long quarter of an hour. At last the 
officers re - appeared, and laid on the 
table before the judges a gold watch and 
chain, and purse full of money. A mur- 
mur of satisfaction was heard through- 
out the hall. Friedel’s eyes brightened; 
while Lawrence stood, a miserable pic- 
ture of shame and despair. 

The presiding judge waited a few 
moments, and then gravely commanded 
silence. 

“ Witness Wilhelm,” he said, turning 
to the journeyman, “ do you recognize 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


69 


this watch and chain, and this purse, as 
the property of which you were robbed ? 
Come nearer, and look closely at them, 
that there may be no mistake.” 

The journeyman stepped forward, 
glanced at the articles, and replied with- 
out hesitation : 

“As truly as God sees me, Herr 
President, it is my watch and chain, and 
my purse ! Have the goodness to open 
the watch - case, and on the inside you 
will find the trade-mark, ‘ Levi Brothers , 
Stuttgard My watch was purchased of 
that well-known firm.” 

The president opened the watch - case, 
and glancing at the inside, said : 

“ The statement is correct, here is the 
mark,” passing the watch to the other 
judges. “And now, witness Wilhelm, can 
you tell how much money was in your 
jrnrse, when it was taken from you ? ” 

“ Pretty nearly, sir,” answered the 
journeyman. “ There were in it four 
double gold Fredericks, three silver 


70 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


thalers, a Saxon Sophia - dncat, and 
about eighteen groschen in small 
change.” 

The president emptied the purse on 
the table; the contents corresponded 
with the young man’s account. 

“ An error is no longer possible,” said 
the president, solemnly. “ The accused 
Friedel is to be set at liberty at once, 
being proven entirely innocent, and the 
Steiger Lawrence will take his place.” 

Loud rejoicings welcomed this decision ; 
only the miserable Lawrence gnashed his 
teeth with rage. He was led to jail by 
the officers, and it was said that he would 
be sentenced to several years imprison- 
ment, which was afterward done. 

Friedel, on the other hand, and old 
Mother Domann, were led in triumph 
out of the court, and escorted to their 
homes by their friends and neighbors. 
In a few minutes, Friedel found himself 
in the arms of his wife and child, amid 
sweet tears of joy. Later, all their friends 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


71 


and acquaintances came to rejoice with 
the happy family, and all the sorrows of 
the past were soon forgotten in the pleas- 
ure and thankfulness that changed this 
heavy day into one of the brightest of 
Friedel’s life. 







CHAPTER III. 

THE CRIMINAL AT LARGE. 

EVERAL years passed quietly 
away. Friedel still rejoiced in 
tlie undiminislied affection and 
regard of his neighbors and 
companions. John had become a well- 
grown youth, and went with the miners 
to work, fully earning his daily bread by 
his diligence. 

It happened one day, as he was return- 
ing home from his work, that he overtook 
old Mother Domann, who, having just 
come from the woods, was hobbling 
slowly on before him. 

“ Good evening, mother ! ” he pleasant- 
ly said, pressing her withered, wrinkled 
hand affectionately. “ Have you found 
plenty of berries to-day ? ” 



72 



UNDER THE EARTH. 


73 


In spite of lier great age, Mother Do- 
mann always wore a contented and cheer- 
ful countenance, especially toward John, 
for whom she entertained particular affec- 
tion. But, to-day, her face was clouded 
with deep anxiety, and her thin lips were 
closely pressed together. Her eyes looked 
heavy and sad as she raised them toward 
John. 

“ Welcome, and a good evening to you, 
my dear lad ! ” she answered, warmly, 
returning the pressure of his hand. “ I 
have found a great abundance of ber- 
ries; but something else that I found has 
spoiled all my pleasure.” 

“ So ? Tell me about it, good mother,” 
said John. “ But first let me take your 
basket. I will go home with you, and 
you must tell me what has distressed 
you. But how heavy your basket is ! 
I wonder that, at your age, you can walk 
at all with such a burden.” 

“ Habit, John ! ” replied the aged 
woman. “ That helps one a great deal ; 


74 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


and, God be thanked ! I have not been 
ill for a long time. The good food that 
your kind mother sends me every day, 
supports my health and strength won- 
derfully. God bless you, all of you, for 
your kindness to a poor old creature; and 
He will bless you, for has he not said : 
‘Blessed is he that considereth the poor; 
the Lord will deliver him in time of 
trouble?’ ” 

“ Oh, do not speak of our kindness, 
mother ! ” interrupted J ohn . “We should 
be the most ungrateful people in the 
world, if we could ever forget what you 
did for my father when he was under 
that terrible charge. If it had not been 
for you, my father might to-day have 
been in prison, and that wicked Law- 
rence walking around free and in tri- 
umph among us.” 

. “ Ah, you speak of that evil man ! ” 
said Frau Domann. “Do you know 
what has embittered the fruit of my in- 
dustry to-day? That very Lawrence! ” 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


75 


“ How is that possible, mother ? ” asked 
John, in astonishment. “ He is locked 
up in prison.” 

“ No, John; the villain is free — free 
as you and I ! ” returned the aged woman, 
earnestly. “ It is a sin and shame that 
they have let him go. He should have 
been kept shut up as long as he lived.” 

“ Wait a little, mother; let us count 
back,” said John, troubled, and a little 
alarmed at the news that Lawrence was 
at liberty. “He was sentenced to four 
years’ imprisonment ; that was in the year 
’24, and now it is ’28 : the time is out. 
But I cannot believe that he will be so 
bold and shameless as to come back here 
to the scene of his wickedness. What 
could he want here ? His son, Uli, died 
last year of fever, and he has neither re- 
lations nor friends in our neighborhood.” 

“ And yet he is here, John ! ” replied 
Mother Domann. “ My old eyes have 
seen him, scarce half a league from where 
we are, in the woods, and not one hour 


76 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


ago ! Yes, yes, I recognized him, as soon 
as I saw him, although he has a great 
bushy beard that almost covers his face; 
you can see nothing but his eyes and nose. 
But his evil, mocking look told me at once 
who was before me. Perhaps it was very 
well for me that he did not see me, and 
I left the place as quietly as I could. He 
is bad enough for anything — even to kill 
a poor old woman like me ! ” 

“ Impossible ! you must have been 
mistaken, mother !” cried John. “What 
should he be doing here ? What could 
have induced him to come back ? where 
every one hates and despises him, as he 
must know very well. Indeed, you are 
mistaken, Mother Domann ! ” 

“I am not mistaken/’ answered the 
old woman, very seriously. “ My eyes, 
old as they are, still do their duty, and 
are sharper than many a younger pair. 
That is because I am so much in the 
open air, my dear child. And why 
should the base fellow come back, do 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


77 


you ask ? Is it not plain enough ? He 
wants revenge ! Cruel revenge, on your 
father, on your mother, on you and on 
me ! That is his purpose, and no means 
of gratifying his wicked desire will be 
too bad for him. Believe me, J ohn ! I 
know the man, and I shudder now, when 
I think of Lawrence’s appearance in the 
wood. What a face ! His eyes so bright 
and cruel, and his wrinkled, yellow fore- 
head so frowning ! He lay on the moss 
under an oak-tree, muttering to himself, 
as he used always to do. I only heard 
these words : ‘ They shall pay dearly, 
they shall feel my power, the hounds ! ’ 
And he clenched his fist, and his teeth 
grated like iron under a file. I tell 
you, John, be on your guard ! And 
warn your father and mother, too, that 
they beware of him. I have not much 
to fear from him ; only the first sight of 
his face took me by surprise, and startled 
me. I am not anxious about my life, 
for the few years that yet remain to 


78 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


me are not much to lose. But you, my 
boy, and your father, who may yet do so 
much good ; and your excellent mother, 
who is, indeed, a blessing to our village ; 
oh, when I think that you may suffer 
harm from him, I tremble with fear ! ” 

John walked on in silence beside his 
old friend, his mind disturbed by many 
uneasy thoughts. But he suppressed his 
anxieties, and looked up at last with a 
more cheerful expression. 

“ Think of it no more, good mother ; 
pray do not troubled!” said he, calmly. 
“ If even Lawrence has come back, why 
should we fear him? Are we not in 
God’s hand? What can the wicked- 
ness of one evil man do, against His 
almighty power? No, I will not he 
afraid ; I will put my trust in the Lord, 
without whom not a sparrow falls to the 
ground, nor a hair of my head can be 
harmed.” 

“ You do well to put your trust in 
God, my child,” replied the aged woman; 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


79 


“ but it can do no harm to be on your 
guard and keep a circumspect watch. 
He who tempts danger, falls into it.” 

“ I will be prudent, and I will tell my 
father of Lawrence’s return,” said John ; 
“ but we will not be in fear of him. We 
do our duty, and the rest we leave in 
God’s good and fatherly hand. But 
here we are at your cottage, Mother Do- 
mann ! Here is your basket, and thank 
you most kindly for your warning ! I 
will not forget it. God protect you, 
mother ; good night, and pleasant rest to 
you.” 

He pressed her hand, and they parted, 
as ever, in friendship and affection. 
John turned homeward, resolving to tell 
his parents, without any reserve, all he 
had heard. 

His mother showed considerable un- 
easiness on hearing his news ; but his 
father was, apparently, unmoved. 

“What have we to fear from Law- 
rence’s return?” said he. “We have 


80 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


never done him any injury ; it was not 
we that sent him to prison, hut his own 
misdeeds. For ourselves I fear nothing, 
but I would caution Mother Domann to 
keep out of his way; for without her 
testimony his crime would hardly have 
come to light. But to hurt such an old 
woman ! I can hardly believe it possi- 
ble, even for such a man as Lawrence. 
Let us not unnecessarily distress our- 
selves. Has not our Saviour said, ‘ Suffi- 
cient unto the day is the evil thereof’ ? 
God is above us, our Lord and Father, 
and He will make all things work to- 
gether for our good ! ” 

Nothing further was said of Lawrence. 
But Obersteiger Friedel, as well as his 
son, was fully resolved to be on his 
guard. They were silent, however, to 
spare the anxious wife and mother need- 
less care. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE GEORGE-SHAFT. 

kYS and weeks passed away; 
summer was gone, the green 
foliage of the trees changed 
little by little to autumnal yel- 
low and brown; and none hut Mother 
Domann had seen anything of the re- 
leased prisoner, though the report that 
he had come back had spread rapidly 
through the village, and called forth uni- 
versal concern and uneasiness. No eye 
saw him: if, indeed, he had returned, he 
had either immediately withdrawn again, 
or hidden himself so effectually in the 
forest as not to be easily found. 

A hunter - boy, in the service of the 
forester, who lived in the woods, about a 

F 81 



82 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


league from the village, happening to be 
at the village inn one day, said that the 
poachers were more troublesome than 
they had been for a long time ; that al- 
most every week they shot either a stag 
or a roe : hut whether Lawrence belonged 
to the band or not, no one could say, not 
even the young hunter himself, though 
he had formerly been familiar with his 
appearance. 

“The fellows go to work with wonder- 
ful cunning,” he said, in reply to some 
questions. “ The forester and we game- 
keepers lie in wait every night, hut we 
have never yet succeeded in catching 
one of them, or even in getting sight of 
them. If we are in the Kemper valley, 
we hear shots on the Oak Hill ; if we 
hide there, then they are in the Fox 
Corner ; and when we reach the spot from 
which the sound comes, we find the blood 
of the animal shot, but not a trace of the 
shooters. The forester is terribly an- 
noyed about it, and we have to keep a 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


83 


close watch ; but, as I said, the rascals 
are sly, and it may be long before we 
catch them, if some lucky chance does 
not help us.” 

The report of the young gamekeeper 
spread through the village, and many 
conjectures were made as to whether 
Lawrence was or was not among the 
poachers ; naturally, without any result. 
Every one, of course, held his own opin- 
ion, without any one’s being able to 
ascertain the truth. So, before long, both 
Lawrence and the poachers were forgot- 
ten, and the villagers ceased to be in fear 
of the returned convict. 

October came. The month of Sep- 
tember had been particularly delightful, 
almost every day being clear and sunny, 
with smiling blue skies. But with the 
beginning of the new month the weather 
changed ; the heavens were overcast with 
dark, heavy clouds, and a high wind 
arose, which, blowing incessantly, brought 
thick fogs and fresh rain-clouds every 


84 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


day. The windows of heaven seemed to 
be opened; the water poured upon the 
earth in mighty showers. Rain, rain, 
everywhere around, above, below ! The 
atmosphere was so saturated with steam- 
ing vapor, that objects could searcely he 
distinguished at fifty paces’ distance. 
The mist enveloped mountain and val- 
ley, wood and field, in one monotonous 
mantle of gray. Water-drops trickled 
from every leaf; from the mountains 
came down thousands and thousands of 
tiny rivulets, thousands and thousands of 
little silver-threads of water, that united 
in the valleys below to form brooks, and 
then poured, murmuring and chattering, 
into the bed of the little stream which 
bounded the village on one side, and 
which had been almost dried up by the 
heat of the summer. The stream swelled 
higher and higher, until it became a 
rapid, roaring current, and, at last, rising 
above its banks, overflowed the low land 
on both sides of it. 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


85 


And the rain never ceased. It came 
plashing down by day and by night ; the 
wind lashed the stream until it tossed up 
angry scuds of foam, and shook the tree- 
tops until they showered down great 
drops upon the soaking moss below. It 
seemed as though the sky and ground 
were full of water ; as though a new del- 
uge were being poured upon the world. 

What the rain did not wet was satu- 
rated by the penetrating fog. Every 
ploughed furrow became a canal, every 
wagon-rut a brook, every hollow in the 
ground a pond or lake. ’Twas truly 
fearful weather ! 

Notwithstanding all this, labor in the 
mines continued without interruption. 
The industrious miners waded and plod- 
ded through the mire, day after day, to 
and from their work, as they did under 
the brightest skies. Fried el did the same 
in his turn, accompanied by his son. 

One morning, as they waded, with 
much difficulty, through the mud and 
8 


86 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


rain, in the direction of the George-Shaft, 
where they were to labor that day, at the 
point where they turned from the village 
street into the foot-path that led to the 
mine, a figure, wrapped in a coarse cloth 
mantle, stepped directly in their way. 

“ Stop ! ” said the person, stretching 
out her hand toward them ; “ turn hack 
to your home, and for to-day, at least, 
do not go to the mine ! I fear some evil, 
and such a presentiment has never yet 
deceived me!” 

“ But who are you, that you keep us 
standing here in such a storm ? ” asked 
Obersteiger Friedel, not without some 
vexation. “ If we stay here many min- 
utes, we shall he wet to the skin.” 

“ Do not stay here, then, but turn 
back, and go home ! ” replied the woman, 
raising her hood a little. “ Don’t you 
know me ? I am old Mother Domann. 
I have come here on purpose to wait 
for you, and beg you to go home. Pray 
do, and do not go to the mine to-day ! ” 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


87 


“ Nonsense, Mother Domann ! ” an- 
swered the Obersteiger. “You know 
very well we must do our duty : no con- 
sideration can keep us from that! Do, 
good mother, be reasonable, and let us 
pass on ! ” 

“ No, no, I beseech you, turn back, 
while there is time ! ” entreated the old 
woman. “ Something unusual oppresses 
me; I feel as though my heart would 
break with anguish ! If you go to the 
mine, something terrible will certainly 
happen ! ” 

“And why do you think so, good 
mother ? ” 

“ I do not know, I could not tell you, 
but I am convinced I am right! Go 
home, or, at least, go to work in some 
other place than the George - Shaft, or 
you are lost ! ” 

“ Superstition, good mother, all super- 
stition ! If you can give us no better 
reason for turning back, then let us go 
on. Come, John ! And you, my good 


88 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


old friend, go home, and put your roof 
between you and this incessant, heavy 
rain-storm. It pours down as though 
the earth were to he drowned ! Come, 
John — and good-by, Mother Do- 
mann ! ” 

He tried to pass her, hut she caught 
him by the arm. 

“For mercy’s sake, Obersteiger, do 
not go ! ” she cried, in terrible distress. 
“ Think of Lawrence ! ” 

“ Of Lawrence ? And what can he 
do to me, when I am down in the mine, 
among my faithful workmen ? ” returned 
Friedel, gently disengaging his arm 
from her earnest grasp. “ Be reason- 
able, good mother ! We must do our 
duty. Only remember that we are all 
in God’s hand, whether upon or under 
the earth ! Good-hy, mother ! ” 

With these words he hastened onward, 
to gain shelter from the rain as quickly 
as possible; and John, nodding kindly 
to the old woman, would have hurried 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


89 


after his father, but she detained him 
for a few moments. 

“ Go, then ! ” she said, in a very de- 
jected tone; “go, if you will not listen 
to an old woman’s warning. But take 
this with you, John — this little basket. 
There is bread, cold pork, and a little 
flask of wine in it, that the good pastor 
was so kind as to send me last Sunday. 
Do take it ! I do not need it — I have 
plenty of provisions.” 

“But the flask of wine will do you 
good, mother,” returned John, very 
much affected by his old friend’s kind- 
ness. “ I cannot take it ! ” 

“You must and shall take it ! ” an- 
swered Frau Domann, earnestly, almost 
peremptorily. “If you have no need 
for it in the coal-mine, you can bring 
the basket back this evening. No more 
contradictions now, J ohn ! God protect 
you ! I pray that no harip may happen 
in the George-Shaft to-day ! ” 

Not to offend the old woman, John 
8 * 


90 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


took the basket with the provisions, re- 
solving, however, to return it to her, 
- untouched, in the evening. 

“ I thank you, kindly, good mother ! 
But now I must make haste to overtake 
my father, and not be too late at the 
shaft. Adieu ! ” 

He ran off very fast, while Mother 
Domann stood looking affectionately 
after him. 

“ So much, at least, done ! ” she mur- 
mured, as the young man disappeared in 
the dense fog. “I do not know what 
may happen ; but this distressed feeling, 
that makes me so restless, has always 
foreboded some trouble. I cannot go 
home and sit idly with my hands in my 
lap. No, I must stay out, and go to the 
George - Shaft, that I may be at hand, 
whatever takes place ! ” 

And instead of returning to the vil- 
lage and to her cottage, the aged woman 
made her way with difficulty through 
the mud, along the almost undistinguish- 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


91 


able foot-path, until, dripping and almost 
breathless, she reached the neighbor- 
hood of the shaft. Here stood a little 
hut, that consisted only of four walls 
and a roof. There was an opening, 
which formed the entrance, on the side 
nearest the mine. The hut was empty, 
as it was used only by the miners, who 
sometimes left their implements and 
other things there at night. 

Mother Domann crept in, and placed 
herself in the dryest spot she could find, 
from which she could see the entrance to 
the mine. There she crouched down, 
drew her wet rain -cloak closely around 
her, and, almost motionless, gazed eagerly 
from out the door less hut. 

Not a living creature was in sight ; 
nor was any sound to be heard, save the 
continual plashing of the rain, the hol- 
low moaning of the wind, as it drove the 
heavy drops before it, and the rushing of 
a brook near by, which was usually very 
small, but which had now risen almost 


92 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


level with its banks, and was foaming 
and raging furiously along. This stream 
flowed within twenty paces of the mouth 
of the George -Shaft, and if the water 
should overflow its hanks, as it was much 
to be feared it would, there was danger 
that the most of it would run down into 
the mine. It was true that the miners 
were not threatened with very great dan- 
ger, if even this should take place ; hut it 
would give them a great deal of trouble, 
as the water would all have to be pumped 
out, that their work might not be delayed. 

Mother Domann considered all these 
circumstances ; and, as the water con- 
tinued rising, and even already, in some 
places, went foaming over the banks, she 
was about to go out and give the workers 
below a warning, by means of the bell 
which hung over the mouth of the shaft, 
when she suddenly shrank bank, almost 
paralyzed, into her dark corner. Out- 
side, very near the shaft, appeared the 
figure of a man, and in that man the ter- 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


93 


rifled old woman recognized her enemy, 
the released prisoner Lawrence. 

“What does that man want here?” 
she asked herself. He cannot intend 
any good; he must be planning mis- 
chief! If he only does not see me ! I 
should be the child of Death, indeed ! ” 

Lawrence was not looking toward the 
little dark shed, as he had no suspicion 
that any person was there. His eyes 
were fixed on the swollen stream, and he 
was calculating the short distance that 
separated it from the mouth of the shaft. 
He wore his old fiendish, mocking smile. 
Then, turning hastily toward the hut, 
he stooped to get in at the low entrance. 
Full of anxiety and terror, Mother Do- 
mann cowered down, and covered herself 
entirely with her cloak. But Lawrence 
took no notice of her ; if even he had 
been able to see in the obscurity of the 
hut, he would have supposed that it was 
only a bundle of clothing, thrown there 
by some of the miners to keep it dry. 


94 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


He had no occasion for their clothing, 
and did not trouble himself about it. 
He wanted, sought, and found something 
else — a heavy pick-axe, that stood in a 
corner : this he seized with an exclama- 
tion of satisfaction, and went out. 

“ Wait, Mr. Friedel ! I will play you 
a trick you will not easily forget ! ” said 
he. “ You and your men shall pump 
until your arms ache and your breath 
gives out.” 

He stood still for an instant before the 
hut, looking in every direction. No one 
was to be seen, far or near — no eye to 
behold what he might do ! He shouted 
aloud, in his wicked delight, and began 
vigorously using the pick-axe, to make a 
broad and deep channel from the brook 
to the mouth of the shaft. 

In less than half an hour it was done, 
and he broke away with the pick-axe 
the last clod of earth that lay between 
the rushing stream and the channel he 
had dug for it. The water poured wildly 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


95 


into its new course, and, carrying all the 
loose earth with it, tumbled headlong 
into the shaft. In a few minutes the 
stream had gained double strength, for 
it carried away more and more of the 
soil, and thus constantly deepened and 
widened. Lawrence watched for a few 
minutes the fierce rush of the uncon- 
trolled element ; then, with a shrill, 
mocking laugh, he tossed the pick-axe 
into the hut, and strode rapidly away 
from the scene of this new wickedness. 

“ Now pump, if you don’t want to he 
drowned ! Neither man nor fiend can 
prove that you owe this fine piece of 
work to me ! ” 

And in a minute or two he disappeared 
in the mist and rain. 

Not the slightest suspicion had he 
that, notwithstanding his fancied securi- 
ty, two human eyes, beside the all-seeing 
eye of God, had witnessed his criminal 
deed. Frau Domann had not moved ; 
though she could scarcely repress a cry 


96 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


when she understood the fiendish plan 
which he had formed and was carrying 
out. But, with timely seif-control, she 
kept motionless as before, though the 
shriek was trembling upon her lips, and 
she quieted herself with the reflection 
that the lives of the miners could not 
be seriously endangered by the falling 
water. So she waited composedly, until 
Lawrence had completed his wicked work 
and gone away. Then she sprang up, 
threw off her heavy cloak, seized the 
pick - axe, which Lawrence had thrown 
down, and hurried out into the open air. 
Exerting all her feeble strength, she 
labored to dam up the channel he had 
opened ; but, in spite of her almost super- 
human efforts, she could not succeed. 
The stream had become too powerful, 
and carried away all the earth and stones 
she threw into it. 

Yet she could not give up. Directly, 
however, she heard, from far down the 
shaft, a fearful rumbling and thundering, 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


97 


and then a deep cry, mingled with an 
increasing roar of the waters, which, 
once begun, continued uninterruptedly, 
and which she knew could not proceed 
from the stream that fell through the 
newly opened channel alone. Deadly 
pale, the old woman listened a few mo- 
ments to the appalling sounds ; the pick- 
axe fell from her trembling hands. It, 
too, was instantly swept down into the 
shaft by the raging current. 

“ Something awful has happened ! ” 
murmured the . old woman. “ God be 
merciful to the poor miners! What is 
to be done to save them ? ” 

In an instant she had taken her 
resolution. As quickly as her age and 
infirmities would permit, she hastened to 
the village, to the residence of the in- 
tendant of the mines, whom, happily, 
she found at home. She hurriedly told 
him all she had witnessed, and the in- 
tendant immediately gave directions that 
all who could assist should repair at 

9 G 


98 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


once to the George- Shaft. There were 
soon a number of men, with spades and 
pick - axes, closing up the outlet, and so 
preventing any further flow of water 
from the brook. Yet when this was 
done, they still heard a wild rushing 
and tumbling of water in the depth of 
the shaft : entirely unable to understand 
this, they stood helpless and perplexed. 



CHAPTEE V. 


THE ELIZABETH QUARRY. 

E must now return to the Ober- 
steiger Friedel and his son 
John, of whom we have lost 
sight since their meeting with 
Mother Domann. 

When John had parted with her, he 
ran after his father, and overtook him 
just as he reached the mine. Here 
stood twenty - four of the men, most of 
them waiting to descend into the shaft 
as soon as the Obersteiger should come. 
He joined them with a hearty “ Good 
day ! ” which was as cordially returned. 
Then the master uncovered his head, all 
the other men following his example, 
and reverently folding their hands, they 

99 




100 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


united in a short, but earnest prayer to 
God for His protection through the 
perilous day’s work which lay before 
them. Then the greater number of the 
men stepped into a large tub, suspended 
by chains and ropes over the shaft. 
Those who remained behind turned a 
windlass, which lowered the tub into the 
mine, and drew it up again empty at a 
signal from their comrades below. Then 
they left the spot without delay, in order 
to escape as quickly as possible from the 
violence of the storm. When Frau Do- 
mann appeared at the shaft, they were 
already out of sight. 

The upper - master and his men went, 
meanwhile, farther and farther into the 
mine, until they arrived at the place 
where they were to work. Here, by the 
feeble light of their lanterns, they at 
once commenced their labors, and no- 
thing was to be heard for some time but 
the incessant picking and hewing of 
their implements, as they broke off large 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


101 


masses of coal from the stratum, which 
was several feet thick. These masses 
were laid on cars, and drawn through 
various galleries on narrow railways, to 
the place from which they were to be 
raised by machinery to the surface of 
the earth. 

Obersteiger Friedel went to and fro, 
overseeing the men, that the work might 
be performed properly and diligently. 
Suddenly he stood still, somewhat startled 
and alarmed, listening intently. He 
thought he heard the rush and fall of 
water, and hurried toward the entrance 
of the shaft, the only direct communica- 
tion with the earth above. Here his alarm 
deepened into terror, for the water was 
indeed rushing down the opening in a 
powerful stream, and spreading rapidly 
on all sides. 

“ Men ! ” he cried in a voice of thunder 
to the laborers, “ down with your spades 
and pick- axes, and hurry to the pumps ! 
The brook up there must have over- 

9 * 


102 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


flowed : it is pouring down the shaft ! 
Make haste, or we cannot master the 
flood !” 

The workmen obeyed the command 
without an instant’s delay. With pow- 
erful arms they set the pumps in motion, 
relieving one another from time to time, 
that the work might he uninterrupted. 
The Obersteiger saw, with pleasure, that 
they were succeeding in their efforts. 
The pumps worked excellently, and there 
were good hopes that the shaft might he 
cleared of water in a short time, without 
very arduous labor. 

“I trust it will be no great affair,” he 
said, in an encouraging tone, to the men. 
“They will soon know, above there, that 
the brook has overflowed its banks, and 
they will lose no time in damming it up. 
Then we shall have no further trouble.” 

The water poured down with gradu- 
ally increasing force, but, as before, was 
easily carried off by the pumps. All at 
once they heard, from above, a fearful 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


103 


cracking and giving way, as if the whole 
shaft were coming down upon the heads 
of the men below. They uttered a loud 
cry of terror. The Obersteiger ex- 
claimed : 

“ In God’s name, fly ! Save your- 
selves, my men! The pump -work has 
given way, and, if I mistake not, has 
torn away one side of the shaft — the 
wall that protected us from the flood of 
water ! Listen ! the stream is breaking 
in with increased force ! Fly ! let us try 
to reach the Martin-Shaft through that 
gallery : it lies high, so we may be safe 
there. Forward, my men! hurry — your 
lives depend upon it! John, my son, 
where are you ? ” 

“ Here, father ! ” replied the young 
man, catching his father by the arm. 
“ Let us go ! ” 

Indeed, there was need of haste ; for 
now the flood was pouring down with 
such overwhelming might, that the ground 
on which they stood was already covered 


104 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


ankle-deep with water. Spurred by fear, 
all ran toward the gallery that commu- 
nicated with the Martin - Shaft. The 
plashing waves followed them, tossing 
and foaming in a wild dance. 

The gallery was safely reached ; but, 
alas ! they were soon convinced that it 
would be impossible to reach the Martin- 
Shaft through it. It was already filled 
with water to the height of four feet, and 
the ungoverned element was still rising 
with fearful rapidity. It was vain to think 
of seeking deliverance through that gal- 
lery ; the attempt would have been death. 

“ We are lost!” murmured the men, 
gazing on the turbulent water with des- 
pairing looks. 

“ Not yet, my men : all is not yet 
lost ! ” answered the Obersteiger, with 
clear, steady voice. “ One hope remains 
to us. We can go into the Elizabeth 
Quarry ; it is the highest part of the 
mine, and it will be safe from the water 
longer than any other place.” 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


105 


“That is true/’ exclaimed a voice 
among the men; “but the Elizabeth 
Quarry has no outlet from above, for the 
shaft has been closed these ten years. If 
we go there, we shall be caught like rats 
in a trap ! ” 

“ But what else can we do ? It is the 
only place of refuge that is open to us,” 
said Friedel. “ To remain here is certain 
death ; there, we have at least one hope. 
Are we not men? Have we not our 
arms, our picks and shovels ? We must 
try to make a way for ourselves through 
the closed shaft.” 

“ The Obersteiger is right,” responded 
several voices. “ Forward to the Eliza- 
beth Quarry, and to work, without losing 
time ! ” 

“Follow me, then, one by one; the 
passage is rather narrow,” said Friedel, 
turning quickly into a side-path. The 
men followed, wading knee-deep in water. 
But in a few moments the narrow, ravine- 
like path began to incline upward, and 


106 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


directly they found themselves walking 
on dry ground. The men huzzaed. 

“ Do not rejoice too soon!” cried Frie- 
del to them ; “ the water will rise higher 
and higher, and we may be very thank- 
ful if it does not at last reach the quarry 
in which we are about to take refuge.” 

“But what should hinder us from 
walling up this gallery here, so that the 
water cannot reach us at all ? ” asked 
one of the miners. 

“ What hinders us is the fact that we 
should perish for want of air, if we closed 
up this passage,” replied the Obersteiger. 
“You forget, Thomas, that the quarry 
can receive no air, except through the 
gallery in which we are.” 

“ True ! ” returned the former speaker. 
“ I forgot that the shaft was closed. 
Then we are doubly threatened ! God 
have mercy on our poor souls ! ” 

“ Do not lose courage, Thomas ! ” said 
the Obersteiger. “ The greater the dan- 
ger, the greater the necessity for fighting 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


107 


bravely against it, if possibly we may 
overcome it. We will work for our lives ! 
It is our duty to ourselves and to our 
families ! ” 

Some expressions of acquiescence from 
the men followed these words ; then all 
went silently on, until at last they 
reached the high Elizabeth Quarry. 
Here they felt secure against the flood. 
Friedel himself expressed his conviction 
that there was more danger from lack of 
air than from the water. 

“ But even this is not so threatening,” 
he continued, “for they will certainly 
come to our rescue, and dam up the 
brook. As for the water from the old 
shafts, there is not enough of it, furious 
torrent as it is, to fill up all the quarries 
and galleries, and cut off the air. I fear 
hunger most. Days may pass — perhaps 
six or seven days — before we can work 
our way up out of this shaft. I ask 
you, then, what provisions has each man 
with him ? ” 


108 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


All the men answered alike, that they 
had brought nothing more than their 
ordinary day’s supply. Only one was 
silent — it was John, who had drawn 
back into the darkest corner of the shaft. 

“ Well, my men,” resumed the Ober- 
steiger, “you cannot but see that we 
must make strict resolutions, and adhere 
to them closely, in order, on the one 
hand, to preserve our lives as long as 
possible, and on the other, to work our 
way out as soon as we can. Therefore, 
I propose — - first, to put all our provisions 
together, and to divide them so that we 
can make them last at least three full 
days. Are you all agreed, and satisfied 
with this?” 

A unanimous “ Yes ! ” was the answer. 
The men took their scanty supplies from 
their wallets, and piled them up in a 
corner, begging the Obersteiger to take 
care of them, and divide their portions to 
them every day. 

“ I will do it faithfully, on my word 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


109 


as an honest man/’ lie replied. “ And 
now we will begin for to-day.” 

By the light of their mining lanterns 
he divided the food into three equal 
heaps, and then portioned out one of 
them into twenty shares, which were as- 
signed by lot to the twenty miners in the 
company. Each received and ate his 
meagre ration in silence — some care- 
fully reserving a small portion of bread 
in their wallets. 

“ And now,” commenced the Oberstei- 
ger again, “ we must make our arrange- 
ments for work. We are twenty in 
number. I propose that half of us shall 
work at a time, and be relieved by the 
other half when they are tired. My son 
and I will be among the first division, 
and the rest of you may decide by lot.” 

It was done as Friedel proposed; and 
the men who belonged to the first set of 
workers had taken up their picks to 
commence at once, when Friedel stopped 

them. 

10 


110 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


“ A moment more,” he said. “ We 
have twenty candles burning here. If 
we use them all at once, we shall be in 
darkness in twelve hours. Let us put 
out all but three — they will afford us 
light enough to work by.” 

This, too, was readily agreed to. Sev- 
enteen candles were extinguished, and 
laid carefully away, and the remaining 
three so placed as to give the best possi- 
ble assistance to the workers. Then, in 
a brief prayer, the Obersteiger sought 
the blessing of the Lord — and the labor 
began. 

Friedel had brought his watch with 
him to the mine, so that he was able ac- 
curately to measure the time. Six hours 
he spent, with his division, in unremitted 
diligence. Then they were relieved by 
the other half of the party, who took up 
the work with fresh strength and cour- 
age. 

Those relieved sought places for rest, 
and sat down on the ground, leaning 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


Ill 


back against the wall of the quarry. 
They were very much fatigued, for the 
hewing down of the earth above their 
heads cost the most laborious efforts, and 
required many precautions. But the 
Obersteiger’s wise and prudent manage- 
ment overcame all obstacles, and pro- 
tected the men from all danger. 

Yet, though they labored incessantly, 
they made but slow progress, and more 
than one of them despaired, almost from 
the first, of ever seeing the blue heavens 
and the glorious sun again. They did 
not express their fears, but Friedel read 
them in their anxious countenances, and 
in the sad, hopeless eyes with which the 
poor fellows measured the result of their 
first twenty-four hours’ toil. 

“ We must not be discouraged, my 
brave fellows,” said he, as he dispensed 
the second ration of provisions. “ It is 
true we get along very slowly, but I 
have not the least doubt that our com- 
rades above will come to our aid — yes, 


112 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


that they are already working to save 
us!” 

“ A poor, deceitful hope ! ” said Mat- 
thew, an old, experienced miner, shaking 
his head despondently. “ How can they ? 
how is it possible for them to know in 
what place we have taken refuge? No 
doubt, they think we have all been 
drowned together ! ” 

“ No, no, my old Matthew ! ” exclaimed 
Friedel ; “you should not indulge such 
gloomy forebodings, much less utter 
them ; you do our intendant and other 
officers great injustice. No ; they will 
search for us ! Our brave comrades will 
never give up until they have brought 
us, alive or dead, out of this dark tomb 
into the daylight. 

“ Granted,” replied Mathew, “ and 
what then? Do they know up there 
that we are hidden here in the old Eliza- 
beth Quarry ? ” 

“ If they do not hnow , they can at least 
conjecture it,” returned Friedel. “Think, 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


118 


my friends, our surveyors and our in- 
tendant know, just as well as I do, that 
the Elizabeth Quarry is the highest place 
in the mine. Further, they know as well 
as I do, that the Elizabeth-Shaft has been 
closed for many years, and that the 
shortest way into the quarry is to be 
made by opening this shaft. They can- 
not but have discovered that all the other 
shafts are partially filled with water, and 
knowing this, they must have come to 
the conclusion that, if we are still alive, 
we are here. Do you not see, my men ? ” 

“Yes, yes — certainly!” responded 
several voices, and the weary, anxious 
eyes brightened with reviving hope. 
Only Matthew was still unconvinced. 

“If even all is true that you have 
said, Obersteiger Friedel, it will do us 
no good,” he said. “ I admit, help will 
come ; but it will come too late ! Only 
our poor, starved bodies will be found. 
It will take more than three or four 
days to open this closed shaft, let what 
10* 


114 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


may be done ! We shall die of hunger ! 
From the water we have nothing more 
to fear. I have found, through careful 
observations, that the water has not risen 
an inch in the galleries within the last 
twelve hours.” 

“ Courage, then, my friends, courage!” 
said Friedel, cheeringly. “If we work 
diligently down here, and our comrades 
work above, we may look with confidence 
for our deliverance. Our good Matthew 
looks on the dark side. We still have 
food for two days, and in those two days 
much may happen. We must trust in 
God : we dare not give up hope, we dare 
not leave off working. Up, then, and to 
labor ! God is with us. His eye sees our 
sore need ! ” 

With renewed courage, the men grasped 
their picks and recommenced their ardu- 
ous toil. Friedel and his son John aided 
and inspired the rest by their example, 
They chose for themselves the most 
dangerous places, and none worked 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


115 


more actively or more perseveringly than 
they. 

So passed another day and night, and 
the men gathered together to receive 
from Friedel’s hands their last supply 
of food. 

The last ! 

Now, indeed, if help from above were 
long delayed, they would be lost. Al- 
ready had fatigue, privation, and anxiety 
begun their consuming work, and most,' 
indeed all of the men showed, by the 
feeble glimmer of their mining lanterns, 
pale and frightfully emaciated counte- 
nances. Friedel tried, as on the day 
before, to comfort and encourage them, 
but not with the same success. The men 
listened to his words in gloomy silence. 
They, indeed, recommenced their work, 
after eating their last morsel of bread; 
but it went on very slowly. All hope, 
all courage seemed gone. 

And another day and night passed 
away. 


116 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


The men worked no longer. Every 
one had given up all expectation of 
deliverance from their fearful situation, 
and sat idly around, gazing on the ground 
before them, almost with the vacant stare 
of idiocy. Vainly did the Obersteiger 
exert all his powers of persuasion to 
incite them to activity. He could not 
succeed; they scarcely listened to him: 
a dull stupor crushed their spirits to the 
ground, and crippled all their energies. 

“ You mean well, Herr Obersteiger/’ 
said old Matthew, who sat, like the rest, 
weary and powerless, on the ground; 
“but all is of no use! We must die; 
help is too far off! The silence of death 
is around us. If our deliverers were near, 
we should hear some sound ; but there is 
nothing : hope is over — all is lost ! ” 

“ My dear wife ! ” sighed Friedel. 
“ Shall I never see you again ? And my 
poor boy — so young ! must he perish 
here in misery ? Oh, my God ! Thou 
hast given me a bitter cup to drink ! ” 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


117 


Even as he murmured these last words, 
he felt some one touch his arm, and 
turning, saw his son, who, with a signifi- 
cant glance, pressed his finger to his lips, 
and beckoned to his father to follow him. 
He led him to a remote and dark corner 
of the quarry. Stopping there, he whis- 
pered : 

“ Do not despair, dear father — we 
two, at least, will not give up for a long 
time. Here, feel what I have ! ” 

He put into his father’s hand the bas- 
ket which Mother Domann had urged 
upon him. Friedel could not repress a 
cry of joy on discovering in it a full 
flask, half of a large loaf of good, nour- 
ishing brown bread, and a piece of cold 
pork weighing several pounds. 

“For mercy’s sake, father, be quiet!” 
whispered John, anxiously. “If the 
men find out that we have such a treas- 
ure, they will want to share it ! ” 

The Obersteiger looked at his son with 
astonishment. 


118 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


“ And would you not share with our 
poor companions in grief and misfor- 
tune ? ” he asked, very earnestly. “ How, 
John, could you live at your ease, and 
see your brethren perish before your 
eyes, without compassion ? ” 

a Oh, father, do not think ill of me ! ” 
exclaimed John. “ I was not thinking 
of myself, when I hid the precious food, 
hut of you and mother ! The bread and 
meat and wine are our own rightful 
property.” 

“ And did not those men share their 
last morsel with us ? ” replied his father. 
“ Well, do as you please — but I will not 
taste a mouthful of this food unless it is 
fairly divided among all.” 

“ Let us, then, divide it, father ! ” said 
John, taking up the basket. “I will 
not be the only selfish one ! ” 

“ Now you speak as I expected my 
true son would do ! ” said his father, 
pressing him tenderly in his arms. 
“ Come, then, to our comrades — they 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


119 


will take fresh courage from this proof 
of God’s care oyer us. But tell me 
quickly, where and how did you get this 
food?” 

John told all in a few words. 

“ God bless old Frau Domann ! ” said 
the father, deeply moved. “If we are 
saved — and I still confidently hope we 
will be — we shall owe it to her affection 
for you. And now, to our friends ! ” 

“ Come, my men,” said he, in a cheer- 
ful tone, returning among them, “ we are 
not yet lost ! See, here is food and drink 
for at least one day ! ” 

The men could not at first believe the 
glad tidings ; but when the Obersteiger 
held up the bread, and showed them the 
large piece of meat, a cry of delight re- 
sounded through that living tomb, and 
they sprang up with sparkling eyes and 
crowded tumultuously around him. 

“ Gently, my men ! ” said the Ober- 
steiger mildly, but earnestly. “ We will 
divide this gift of God fairly among us — 


120 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


none of us shall have to complain of 
being neglected ! Give me room, that I 
can use my knife.” 

The men drew back, but their gaze 
was eagerly fixed on the precious food, 
which Friedel divided with conscientious 
care into twenty portions. He then di- 
vided each portion into two, that the lit- 
tle supply might last two days. 

“ You see the necessity of doing this, 
my brave fellows — don’t you ? ” he 
asked. “A day gained, perhaps saves 
our lives.” 

The men acquiesced, and each received 
his portion of bread and meat. They 
thanked God from their hearts, and ate 
their food with truly devout feelings. 

“And now, my friends, for another 
strengthening dose!” resumed Friedel. 
“ See, in this little basket there is also a 
flask of wine. Let us divide the half of 
it, also, among us.” 

A new exclamation of joy followed; 
and Friedel took one of their empty 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


121 


candlesticks, cleaned it carefully, poured 
some wine into it out of the flask, and 
handed it, first to one, then to another. 
In this way, each received a small por- 
tion — but very little, it is true — yet 
all felt greatly refreshed and strength- 
ened. The sunken, clouded eyes beamed 
with new light — and without being told 
to do so, the brave fellows took up 
their picks to resume the interrupted 
work. 

Friedel and John still led them by 
their example. Already ten pickaxes 
swung in the air, in the next instant to 
fall again on the stone, when a loud 
“Stop!” from Friedel arrested the 
movement. 

The tone of his voice was so startling, 
that the men stood almost motionless, 
gazing on him with astonished eyes. 

“ God be praised, my friends — do you 
not hear?” he exclaimed, his voice 
trembling with the deepest .emotion. 
“ Listen — listen ! I hear a noise above 
11 


122 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


us ! Our deliverance is at hand ! Mer- 
ciful God, I thank thee ! ” 

The men held their breath, and list- 
ened. Friedel’s acute ear had not de- 
ceived him : the heavy sound of digging, 
soft and distant, yet clearly perceptible, 
came down to them from above. They 
listened for a few moments in eager sus- 
pense, and then a loud cry of gladness 
burst from every bosom, and amid stream- 
ing tears of joy they embraced each other, 
or sank upon their knees in prayer. 

From this moment they felt that they 
were saved, and every heart beat high 
with hope. But they were not idle : 
after the first transports of joy and thank- 
fulness were over, they took up their picks 
again, to aid their comrades overhead. 

Though, on both sides, all that lay in 
human power was done, still more than 
twenty - four hours passed before the 
shaft was opened, and the voice of the 
intendant was heard, calling down to 
them : 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


123 


“ Are you there, men ? Are you all 
living ? ” 

“ All, thanks to the providence of 
God, who has graciously preserved us ! ” 
answered Friedel. 

Loud huzzas above responded to these 
words, and lasted for several minutes. 
Then the intendant called again: 

“ Here, men ! we are going to let down 
bread and meat and wine to you by a 
rope, that you may strengthen your- 
selves a little, while we make the shaft 
wide enough for us to get ladders down.” 

“ A thousand thanks, Herr Intend- 
ant,” replied Friedel. “The food will 
be very acceptable; we are all rather 
hungry.” 

“Take care of it: may it do you 
good ! ” was the intendant’s answer, and 
directly appeared several bundles and 
packages with the promised provisions. 
They were received with great rejoicings, 
and their contents shared among the 
exhausted men. Then Friedel uttered, 


124 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


aloud, a warm and hearty thanksgiving, 
in which all the men united in low, 
earnest tones. 

And now they constantly heard the 
picking and shovelling of their deliv- 
erers above. About an hour had passed, 
when the intendant called to them : 

“ Stand aside, that no one may be 
hurt ! The last mass of rubbish that is 
between us will fall, directly, into the 
quarry.” 

The command was instantly obeyed, 
and Friedel called out that it was done. 
The digging and shovelling continued a 
little longer. But directly a great crack- 
ing, thundering sound was heard, and 
heavy masses of earth and fragments of 
rock tumbled from the. shaft into the 
quarry. 

When the dust, which flew in thick 
clouds, had subsided, a ray of daylight 
shone through the obscurity of the quar- 
ry, which was most joyfully welcomed. 
Not long after, a great tub, suspended 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


125 


by chains, followed the ray of light 
down into the mine : out of it stepped 
the intendant, the surveyor, and some 
other officials, greeting the long-buried 
men with kind cordiality. 

“ God be thanked ! ” exclaimed the 
intendant, extending both hands to the 
men, “ that I find you all alive and well ! 
All your friends, your fathers, mothers, 
wives, and children, who are waiting 
above, weeping for joy, send you their 
most loving greetings.” 

“ Thank you, Herr Intendant, for 
your kindness,” answered Friedel, re- 
spectfully. “ Thank you, above all, for 
the aid you have given us. God repay 
you, in time and in eternity ! ” 

“ There, there, good man,” interrupted 
the intendant, “ we have done no more 
than our duty — certainly no more than 
you would have done, if you had been 
in our place. I am very thankful that 
we went to work in the right place ; for, 
of course, we could not be positive that 


126 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


yon were in the Elizabeth Quarry. We 
supposed that you must have taken refuge 
here, because it is the highest place, and 
we had no doubt that some among you 
knew of the closed shaft. But we were 
full of anxiety about you, until at last 
we heard the sound of your pick-axes. 
To God be the glory, who led us by His 
wisdom to the right spot. But, Ober- 
steiger Friedel, can you explain to us 
how it is that nearly all the quarries and 
galleries are full of water ? ” 

“ The pump-works gave way, sir, and, 
in falling, opened an outlet for the accu- 
mulated water/’ replied Friedel. “ We 
had to take refuge here in the greatest 
haste, to escape drowning.” 

“ It happened just as I supposed, 
then,” said the intendant. “Well, the 
damage will be repaired ; and as soon as 
we can set our steam - pumps at work, 
the quarries can be speedily cleared of 
water. For the present, it is enough, my 
brave fellows, that I see you safe ! But 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


127 


how have you satisfied your hunger? 
Were you so fortunate as to have plenty 
of food?” 

Friedel simply replied that they had 
all shared, alike, what food they happened 
to have with them; the rest, however, 
not satisfied with this explanation, told 
of the generosity of Friedel and his son, 
to whom they declared they owed their 
lives. Friedel would have spoken, but 
the intendant gently desired him to keep 
silence, while he inquired carefully into 
the circumstances ; then he extended his 
hand again to the Obersteiger and his son. 

“You are honorable men,” he said. 
“ It is my duty to make a report of what 
has happened to the governors of the 
mines, and in this report I shall mention 
every particular that I have heard. And 
good Mother Domann, too, deserves the 
gratitude of all of us. But enough for 
the present ! The ladders are in readi- 
ness — are you all strong enough to 
mount them ? ” 


128 


UNDER, THE EARTH. 


All the men answered in the affirma- 
tive. 

“ Then forward, with God’s help ! 
We must not keep your dear ones above 
too long in suspense. Five of you at a 
time, get into the tub, and go up until 
you reach the lowest ladder. When 
those five are all on the ladder, they must 
pull a rope that hangs beside the chain, 
that is fastened to a bell above. A single 
stroke is the signal for letting the tub 
down, and three strokes for drawing it 
up. Now go, my men ! You have all 
understood me ? ” 

“Yes, sir — yes!” they exclaimed 
together, and five men stepped into the 
tub. 

In the space of an hour, all the men, 
delivered, as it were, from the tomb, 
were in the arms of their loved ones, 
weeping and sobbing for joy. We leave 
the scene to our kind reader’s imagina- 
tion. Never since the coal-mines had 
been opened in that region, had such 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


129 


rejoicing and such thanksgiving followed 
days of such gloom and distress in the 
village of Bornheim. 

From the shaft all repaired to the 
church, to offer solemn thanks to God 
for the merciful deliverance — after 
which they separated for the rest of the 
day. Each of the men who had been 
rescued was surrounded by his friends 
and relatives, and escorted with loud 
rejoicings to his home. There was not 
a human heart in the village that day, 
but throbbed with greater pleasure and 
deeper devotion than ever before. And 
could Mother Domann be forgotten? 
Oh, was she not blessed and honored, as 
though the good old woman had been 
indeed an angel of deliverance, sent by 
the merciful hand of the dear Lord ! 



i 




CHAPTER YI. 

“the way of the transgressor is hard.” 

FTER the rescue of the brave 
miners from the Elizabeth 
Quarry, efforts were made to 
capture the evil - doer whose 
criminal misdeed had led to the sad catas- 
trophe. It was supposed that Lawrence 
had hidden himself somewhere in the 
neighboring woods, and accordingly dili- 
gent search was made. But no trace of 
him was found, nor had any human eye 
seen him — so it appeared — since the 
day when he turned the water of the 
swollen brook into the George-Shaft. It 
was at last supposed that he had left the 
country forever, to avoid the danger in 
which he constantly was, of being seized 

130 • 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


131 


and punished ; and so, after a little while, 
he was forgotten. 

Not so the kind acts of Mother Do- 
mann — not so the noble self-sacrifice 
of the Obersteiger Friedel and his son 
John. The intendant had sent a full 
report of the misfortune, with all the 
particulars, to the Government ; and not 
long after an answer was received from 
the princely cabinet, which filled every 
honest heart in Bornheim with pleasure. 
The prince spoke in the warmest terms 
of commendation of the generosity and 
self-forgetfulness of Friedel and his son, 
and sent to each of them the large gold 
medal which the Government awarded to 
such as had saved the life of others, with 
the desire that they should keep and 
wear it as a constant memento. He also 
ordered that both should, as long as they 
lived, draw from the treasury of the 
mines double their regular yearly sal- 
ary. A pension for life was also ap- 
pointed to Mother Domann, fully sufifi- 


132 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


cient to secure her declining years against 
want. 

Months passed away, and the rainy 
autumn had given place to an unusually 
cold winter. One day the game-keeper 
of the forester before mentioned, appeared 
in Bornheim, and informed the intend- 
ant that he had discovered in a rocky 
ravine the half-decayed body of a man, 
now frozen hard as a stone. He added 
that he supposed the corpse to he that of 
the miserable Lawrence, and that he must 
have fallen by accident into the ravine 
some time before, apparently from a 
steep rock, in which was a cave, some 
hundred feet above the ravine. The 
uave was so difficult of access, and at so 
dangerous a height, that there seemed to 
be no reason to doubt his having hidden 
himself there to escape pursuit. In 
climbing to or from this cave, he had 
most probably lost his foothold, and been 
killed by the fall. 

This intelligence was quickly carried 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


133 


throughout the village, and hundreds of 
persons, including the magistrates, the 
physician, and the pastor, hurried out to 
the ravine. Even old Mother Domann 
hobbled out with the rest. 

The account of the game-keeper was 
fully confirmed. The physician exam- 
ined the body, and found that the skull 
and several bones had been broken by 
the fall. Circumstances proved clearly 
that it was indeed the unhappy Law- 
rence. The appearance of the body 
itself, the clothing, several papers — 
among them his certificate of dismissal 
from the jail — and some other articles, 
left no room for doubt as to his identity. 

With looks of awe and horror, the vil- 
lagers surveyed the mortal remains of 
the unfortunate criminal. 

“ He has escaped human justice,” said 
the pastor solemnly, after a long and 
almost breathless silence; “but from 
God’s judgment there is no escape ! 
God’s hand has punished him, as He 
12 


134 


UNDER THE EARTH. 


# 


will most assuredly punish every trans- 
gressor. We leave this poor sinner, 
stricken by the lightning of Almighty 
wrath, in the hands of his God.” 

May you all, my dear readers, abhor 
that which is evil, and cleave to that 
which is good ; and for this may the grace 
of Christ strengthen and confirm you 
all ! Amen ! 



tlje genre of the melted skit be shortened.” 

































•• 





























































* 



















































































































































































































mm > 








































































I 























































* 













♦ 


















































































/ • 











































- . - ■ v .• ‘ 



















s' 




































